


Before You Were Mine

by BePassionate24



Series: One and Only [3]
Category: The Vampire Diaries - L. J. Smith, Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Bamon, Damon and Bonnie, F/M, Fan fics, Fanfiction, Matt and Elena, Prequels, Romance, Stefan and Elena, Stelena, Stelena Fandon, Tyler and Caroline, forwood, the vampire diaries - Freeform, tvd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-29
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-01-21 07:46:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 49
Words: 219,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1543109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BePassionate24/pseuds/BePassionate24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Years before Stefan Salvatore became a father and went missing in "One and Only." He was a new rookie firefighter in New York City with a reckless and careless attitude. Until, he unknowingly saved the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Stelena,Bamon,Forwood)

**A/N: Hey all! I've got a new story for you guys. This story will be based off of some of the flashbacks from "One and Only". In other words, I'm going to be expanding on them in this story and of course, I'll be adding a lot more new stuff to it that we didn't get to see in the original.**

**(If you haven't read "One and Only" I suggest it. However, you don't need to read it first to know what's going on in this story.) :)**

**Anyways, it's a prequel to "One and Only" which means that it's all the events that happened before Stefan went missing for 5 years. It'll include things like how Stefan and Elena really met. How everyone all became so close and like a family. It'll have Caroline before she became a Lockwood, before Bonnie became a Salvatore...etc.** **I'll be including a lot of familiar faces and some new ones characters that I've created. So, hopefully that won't confuse anyone too much.** **So, without further explaining...**

**Here's the first prologue for "Before You Were Mine"**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries. I just use the characters for my own enjoyment.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Prologue-**

**-Stefan-**

"Don't go." I tell her, my voice is scratchy and raw as she leans into me, kissing my lips gingerly, her hand running through my brown messy hair. "I need to. Besides, my mother is going to be home soon and if she finds you in my bed, she'll hate you even more." She adds, batting her light brown eyelashes at me as I attempt to grab at her. Groaning when she swats my arms away.

"Stefan..I need to get going.I have things to do and-." Makayla pauses, her lips pursed together as she places her finger on to my lips and frowns. "Right now, they don't involve sleeping with my very sexy boyfriend or making out with him while he's half naked in my bedroom."

"Oh come on..I snuck in here last night. No one even knows that I'm still here." I tell her, watching as she gets up, her long blonde hair falling to the middle of her back as she smiles at me once again and pulls her tank top over her bare skin.

"No one? Well, you should tell that to whoever was making your cell phone buzz like crazy for the past hour and a half." She adds with a laugh, getting up and throwing my jeans on to the bed.

"My cell phone...What are you talking about?" I ask, watching Makayla scrunch up her dirty blonde hair into a high ponytail as she tilts her head to the side, her blue eyes gleaming when she grabs my cell phone from the desk beside her and types in the pass code.

"Who's Damon?" She asks, giving me a confused look as she places the phone in front of my face and I blink at the screen, like I have no idea what she's talking about. That's until, it hits me.

_Damon...Ceremony...Firehouse..Downtown Manhattan Today...Me not there…_

_I'm late and very screwed! "_ He's my brother and he's graduating from the academy today...Right now, actually." I mumble to myself, pushing myself off of her bed as she scratches her head and gives me a confused look.

"He's officially becoming a firefighter today." I clarify. It's like the light bulb in Makayla's head goes off as her eyes light up and she asks. "Can I come with you?"

Can she come with me? A girl that I've just been sleeping around with for the last few months..We're not even exclusive. And she wants to come with me to my brother's graduation... Is she being serious?

"I..Um…. I don't think-" I pause, not really sure what to tell her as she lifts her eyebrows at me and places her hands on to her hips. "I'm your girlfriend, Stefan. I should go to these events with you. Besides, I'd love to meet your brother." She adds casually as I just smile and nod, falling back against her bed and trying to think how I'm going to approach Damon. I haven't seen him since my high school graduation- Three months ago. And, needless to say, he has no idea that I'm even dating anyone. Let allow his new boss's daughter. To be more specific, the fire chief's daughter, Makayla Murphy.

"Your dad will be there." I try to say, avoiding the whole- girlfriend topic. And, hoping that the idea of seeing her father being there will scare her off. Yet, it doesn't.

I watch as she smirks and pulls her short plaid white and black skirt over her pale skinny legs. "So, what? I'll meet your brother and you, can meet my father. Fire Chief Patrick Murphy of District 17." She declares, a gleeful expression on her face when I hear her snap her fingers together and she adds. "This is going to be so great! Daddy is going to love you!"

I grab a hold of my head, closing my eyes and falling back into the pillows as I mutter out. "God, I hope so. Let's just hope that daddy..Doesn't kill me first."

* * *

**-Damon-**

I, Damon Salvatore, do solemnly swear to do my duty as a Firefighter for the New York City Fire and Rescue District to the best of my ability; to serve my commanding officers with respect and dignity; to serve the citizens of the New York City Fire and Rescue District with compassion, courage and integrity; and to uphold the laws and constitutions of the United States of America, the State of New York and the Charter of the New York City Fire District; so help me God.

As I finish the oath and place my hand down to my side, I glance over to hear the loud and large double doors in the room open up and notice that Stefan's quietly making his way into the building. A perky looking 18 year old girl is around his arm as they both grab a seat in the back row. I'm taken back for a moment when the commissioner pats me on the shoulder and shakes my hand. I'm the last one of the 35 new faces to graduate at the top of my class and this right now, is a pretty big deal. Thankfully, my little brother was here to witness even a small part of the ceremony.

"Welcome to the FDNY, Son. District 17 will be happy to have you." Patrick Murphy, a salt and peppered haired man that's tan skinned and looks to be in his early 50's says to me as I nod at him and shake his hand firmly, turning to glance over at the crowd to see a few familiar faces. One of them being my girlfriend for the last two years, Bonnie Bennett and my uncle, Zach Salvatore.

The loud booming clapping starts from the crowd in the small room as the ceremony finishes with a quick wrap up from the commissioner and before I know it, Zach is pulling me into a tight bear hug. "What are you even doing here?" I hear myself asking him, curious as to why he'd even show up.

"I came here for you, Damon. I wouldn't miss this for the world. Your father would be so proud of you. So, where's your brother, Stefan?" He questions, looking around the room and smiling when he spots Stefan, dragging that girl that he had walked in with behind him.

"Zach." Stefan states, looking down at his own sneakers as I watch the odd exchange between my favourite uncle and my younger brother. The tension between them can be felt by not only me. But also by my girlfriend, Bonnie and the girl looped around Stefan's arm like a small snake.

"Congratulations, babe." Bonnie whispers into my ear, kissing my cheek as I feel her hands tighten around mine and she extends out one of her hands towards Zach who now has his placed into the pockets of his khaki trousers.

"I don't think we've officially met. I'm Bonnie, Damon's girlfriend. Damon and I, went to school together." She says smiling with a sweet look as she shakes Zach's hand and then Stefan's.

"Nice to meet you, Bonnie." I hear Stefan comment. While I look at the girl that Stefan brought with him. She's texting on her phone and barely even paying any attention to our awkward family gathering. But, she stops when Stefan nudges her shoulder just a little. The small action finally makes her look up and when she does, she's blushing at me. She giggles, this loud and annoying laugh that makes me wonder what Stefan even finds appealing about her at all. Maybe it's her thin frame or her overly annoying personality..God only knows. My brother's 18 years old and overly hormonal. So, of course he'd go for someone like her...Although, knowing my brother..She probably won't last long until he finds someone new..He's a young man with needs and this one, whatever her name is...She just doesn't seem to cut it for him.

"I'm Makayla..Murphy. My dad's the fire chief at 17, Patrick Murphy..I'm sure you all know him or have heard about him." She comments in a nonchalant tone as my blue eyes widen and I instantly drop Bonnie's hand. I can see my little brother's body stiffen, his face falls when I point to him and mutter out. "Will you excuse me..Stefan, can I talk to you outside. Privately for a moment?"

He shrugs his shoulders back, pops the apparent tension in his neck as his green eyes find my gaze and he can tell that I'm pissed off. "Right now, little brother..Right now." I add in with a choppy, hurried tone.

"What about the rest of the ceremony? Aren't you getting a award?" He asks me, avoiding the subject as I yank him by his arm and drag him outside. Realizing that Bonnie, Zach and the blonde bimbo of the month are all just staring at us like I've lost my mind. I ignore them all though, not wanting to explain what this is about. Because, all I know is that right now. It's between Stefan and I and it's important.

* * *

Once outside, Stefan looks dazed. He's laughing though, busting up laughing so hard that his face is red and he's holding his stomach as the tears appear onto his cheeks when he leans back against the wall, catching his heaving breath.

"You think this is funny? Dating Patrick Murphy's daughter! Jesus, Stefan. Out of all the girls in the high school you went to. Better yet, out of all the ones your age in New York City..Your fucking dating his daughter! Do you even know who Patrick is?" I shout at him, watching his hands touch the red brick wall of the building behind us.

Stefan finally catches his breath, inhaling sharply when he locks his eyes on to me and he smirks. "What's the big deal?"

I shake my head, spit out my words at him as I look around before I shove him back against the brick wall, my fingers tightening around the collar of his black shirt. "The big deal little brother is that- She's going to ruin your chances, Stefan. This girl is going to ruin your chances at following your dreams and being what you've always wanted to become. Because of Makayla, you might as well have put a big fat bullseye on both of our backs!"

"I'm just a volunteer at the station, Damon. And, it's not like Patrick knows that we're brother's yet. He's never met me, or seen me, which I liked to keep it that way.." Stefan adds with a cocky smile as I shove him back and step away, running my hands through my hair in irritation.

"Once that man finds out..He's going to make our lives a living hell at the station. It may not mean anything to you right now. But, it will, once you apply and get to where I'm at. So, a piece of advice, little brother. Don't tell him that you're dating his daughter." I advise him, just about to walk back into the building when I look up and I hear his voice booming bounce around into the air and see him walking towards me. The sound of heavy boots making Stefan and I both freeze.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. Damon and Stefan Salvatore? Is that so? I don't know why I didn't make the connection sooner. I'm thrilled to have two brother's serving and protecting our city at the station. So, which one of you lucky men is dating my daughter?" Patrick asks, watching me slowly turn towards him. My blue eyes meet his brown gaze as I lift my hand up and casually point towards Stefan. The moment I do it, my brother looks like I'd just told him to enter the lion's den and that they'd be having him for dinner. It's amazing though, the sudden change in his posture when he straightens himself out and clears his throat, walking the short few feet to where Patrick and I are standing. Stefan extends out his hand and smiles a genuine but very nervous smile as he firmly admits to Patrick. "I am, sir."

* * *

**-Elena-**

"So, how are things going?" My brother asks me as he places his hands across the table to hold on to mine, a smile playing across his lips.

I shrug. "Not well. Mom kicked me out again and this time. I'm not going back, not until she apologizes." I don't know what it is about those words that make my stomach tighten or the look in my brother's eyes soften. But, it's the truth and even though I play it off like being kicked out of the house yet again isn't a big deal. We both know that it is, since I just finished high school and now, I have nowhere to go.

"I don't have anywhere to go, Jeremy." I comment, feeling his fingers squeeze mine when he softly adds. "Stay with me and Anna, until you're able to be on your feet or I don't know, until we can figure something else out. Mom's just going through a phase right now. Look, once she calms down. Then, we'll get you back into the house, get the rest of your things and move you out- for good this time." He adds, smiling just a little as I think about it. Living under the iron hand of my mother, Miranda Gilbert has been putting a strain on my relationship with my brother, and it's been a struggle for Jeremy and I to keep in touch.

"I just don't want to be a burden to you or to anyone...I need a job. I need to make money on my own. I don't care if I'm living paycheck to paycheck, Jer. I can't go back home and I can't be on the streets either." I tell him. I look out towards the small diner, watching suddenly when our waitress smiles down at me and slips an application towards me with her right hand.

"We're hiring." She comments with a smile, looking back at her boss as I glance up at her and read her name tag, watching her blue eyes glisten and her blonde hair sway as she takes a pen out of her pocket and places it down on the table. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help but overhear that you needed a job." She pauses, looking over from me to Jeremy when she adds in." I'm just working here while I save up money for college so that I can go into the criminal justice program. I want to be a police officer, it runs in my family." She babbles on as she turns around when someone shouts her name from behind her.

"A cop, huh? You'll like the job. But, it's tough..As far as I've heard." Jeremy comments, placing his hands around his coffee cup as I smile up at him and swallow the lump in my throat, just thinking about how far he's come.

I'm proud of him, my brother. He's the only one in our family that's not letting anything or anyone get in his way in regards to his dreams. That's why he's working while he lives with his girlfriend, Anna's family in the Bronx. And as he searches for a better job that will help his chances of getting into the police academy one day.

"My brother, he's going to major in Criminal Justice too. He's going to be a police officer in the near future. One of New York's finest." I tell her with a beaming smile as she nods. "Well, I hope to see you both around." She states, pivoting on her heels and walking away as we both hear a loud older woman with a short brown pixie haircut shout in her direction. "Caroline Forbes, stop sharing your life story with the customers and get to work!"

Caroline winks back at us, tying her apron back on and looking over at her boss as she says. "Alright, Rosie..I heard you. Back to work I go!"

* * *

I keep staring at the paper that's folded horizontally in my purse. Anna, Jeremy's girlfriend called him to pick her up from her classes. So, right before he left. I told him that I'd fill out the application and hand it back to the owner. That was three hours ago.

"Look, I won't take offense if you don't want to fill it out. I just, I thought maybe it could help you a little. You seem like a sweet girl..In need of a helping hand." She adds in, turning back towards me as I watch her wipe down an empty table with scraps of food still on it and she smiles at me again, turning around to face me this time with her arms crossed over her chest, glancing back behind the large counter and ordering area as her boss gives her a dirty look.

"Rosie, the owner of this diner seems like a pissed off old woman. But, she's got a heart of gold. You'd probably like her a lot. She's like a mom to all of us." She tells me in an honest tone as I nod at her and we both watch the woman named Rosie, disappear in the back again when Caroline slides into the seat that Jeremy had been sitting in just hours earlier.

"I'm sorry that I didn't get to introduce myself to you earlier. I'm Caroline." She says, as I watch her take her red apron off again, bunching it up into her hands this time and placing it on the table before us. I smile at her, an honest and sincere smile as I extend out my hand to her and she shakes it. "I'm Elena." I comment.

Caroline leans back into her seat, keeping an eye out for the owner as she smirks. "I think that if you worked here, we'd become good friends."

I pause for a moment, looking back down at the application and processing her words. It's been so long since I've had a friend. Since I've had anyone want to know more about me or my life that I've forgotten what it feels like to start any sort of relationship with anyone and suddenly, I'm uneasy. Caroline must sense it though because before I can say anything. Her hand is on top of mine and she's shaking her head with a laugh.

"We don't need to be good friends. But, it'd be nice to have another girl in my life to tell things too. I don't have many of those. I mean, I have my mother. But, she just doesn't get it sometimes and she's always working. So…" Caroline's voice trails off as I notice the small diamond ring on her left hand. I watch her quickly cover it with her right hand, as if she's embarrassed by the fact that she's 18 years old and engaged.

"We just recently got engaged, a few months ago. He asked me on the night of graduation and I said yes. Tyler, my fiance is everything that I ever wanted in a man. He's really wonderful. You know, he comes in here from time to time with a small group of his friends, all volunteer fire fighters. I don't really know his friends just yet because he just started the program. But, it's nice to see them all together." She tells me, watching as I smile at the thought of what it must feel like to have that connection with people, to have someone that close, like a family.

"That must be nice, to have that." I comment, causing Caroline's head to tilt to the side in wonder. "Have what?" She asks.

"A sense of family...Him and those guys..They say that firefighters and police officers are like a band of brothers." I reply, as she smiles and nods.

"Yeah, they are. Tyler says that he can't wait to get to know them more and until they really become like brothers. He doesn't have any brothers. So, maybe that's why he's so eager for that to happen." Caroline adds in, glancing down at my half empty application with a hopeful look in her blue eyes.

"You've convinced me." I tell her abruptly. Caroline's face lights up as she nearly shrieks and grabs her apron.

"So, you'll apply?" She asks, watching me lick my lips as I nod at her.

"Yeah. I'll apply. And, you were right. I think that you and I will be good friends." I tell her, placing the pen back into my hands as I fill out the rest of the application for Rosie's diner. I notice that she's gone back to work and has left me to I sit there all alone. But, I don't mind it. Because it'll give me time to think.

I take a few minutes, staring down at the white sheet of paper with bold writing. Like, I'm waiting for a sign of some sort. Maybe I'm hoping that this job will get me what I need and crave. Maybe, I'm hoping that by agreeing to it that I won't make a big mistake. Because, I need money.

But, it's not only that...It's the way that Caroline talked about Tyler and his 'brothers'. Her words made me want that- a family like the one he's creating for himself with those guys.

My hands shake as I sign my name on the dotted line right beside the date and I hear myself let out a loud exhale when I think about how much I've always wanted that..A family..A place to belong. That's when I realize that maybe working here won't be a mistake after all, maybe working at this small run down diner will be a blessing is disguise for something bigger and better waiting for me.

* * *

**A/N: So, what did you all think of the prequel? Loved it? Hated it? Do you all want more?  
**

**Please let me know.**

**Follow me on twitter at: BePassionate_24 for updates or just to chat.**

 


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Years before Stefan Salvatore became a father and went missing in "One and Only." He was a new rookie firefighter in New York City with a reckless and careless attitude. Until, he unknowingly saved the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Stelena,Bamon,Forwood)

**A/N: So, I forgot to mention. But, chapter 1 will start off a few years later (3 years later to be exact) with Stefan already working as a new firefighter and trying to figure his life out. I won't be doing any flashbacks in this story, unless I feel like it needs them.**

**And for those of you that asked..You don't need to read "One and Only" first to get what's going on..Since, this story will follow their lives from the start.**

**Anyways, here's chapter 1. Hope you all like it! :)**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter One- **

_...3 years later….._

**-Elena-**

Grace Potters song "Stars" roars to life on the radio as I lean into the driver's seat of my old beat up Toyota Corolla. I'm not really sure where I'm going or how much gas I have left until the car decides to die on me. But, I like this, the open road, no worries in the world and one of my favorite songs that reminds me of my dad. Once the traffic on the freeway hits and the song ends, I put it on repeat and close my eyes for a moment, thinking about my father and the way my life could have been if only he was still in it.

_I love you, baby girl. You're going to make us all so very proud of you one day._ He had said, two days before he died from the cancer that took his life. Leaving Jeremy and I with our mother, struggling to keep the house and to keep up with everything else that he had left behind. Eventually we lost the house though, to foreclosure. It was all because mom started to forget to pay things, first it was the electricity then it was the water bill, then the mortgage. I remember it like it was yesterday, my mother and her two small children, picking up their possessions and shoving them in black bags, slinging them over our shoulders as the police officer waited with an eviction notice. I hated growing up with her, I hated losing my father and I hated watching the strong relationship that my brother and I had built as kids, deteriorate because of her actions over the years.

I keep my distance now, trying to make my own money and pave my own way, trying to live on my own in a crappy apartment near my brother. But, it's hard..Living paycheck to paycheck and working at the diner full time was never how I pictured my life to be. The memory of my father with his bright eyes and warm arms hugging me close fades when my cell phone rings to life in the cup holder beside me and I'm brought back to my reality.

" _Where are you? Rosie's pissed and we don't have enough coverage...You better be coming to work today!"_ The text message from my co-worker Luke Slater reads as I grab my phone when I find myself at a full stop behind a semi truck full of chickens ready to go a poultry factory.

" _Fine. I'll be there. See you soon and tell Rosie that I'll be there- stuck in traffic."_ I text him back, smiling when he replies with a simple " _Save me from this hell hole place...Elena….I hate this place. ;)"_

Luke Slater, the 21 year old, tall and brown eyed, dark skinned basketball player from Queens, became Caroline Forbe's replacement at the diner just a year into when I started working there and he quickly became a friend of mine. Apparently, Caroline Forbes was so determined to follow her dreams at marrying that one guy she was engaged to at the time that she dropped everything and fell off the face of the earth- never to be heard from again. To be honest shortly after she left, I stopped seeing her or Tyler completely. And, if I were to bump into them now- I'm sure that they'd barely remember me. But, Luke's been able to fill the absence of Caroline and I'm thankful for it, because over the last three years of working at Rosie's we've become very close.

" _I'm dying...Slow day...Bring me decent coffee..Please?"_ I roll my eyes, thankful that the car is finally moving again and that I can get off at my next usual exit. " _Fine, I'll stop and get coffee. I'm running late anyways. But, I'll be there very soon."_ I reply back, putting my phone back into the cup holder again and placing my foot on the gas pedal as I feel the car jolt forward and my body does the same. If I get there in time, I won't be docked any credits and if I get to the coffee shop just as quickly, I'll get a good cup of coffee for the both of us.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

The moment I close my eyes, that exact second I feel myself drifting into sleep again. The loud drill alarm goes off and I'm up, not fully wide awake. But, just about when Damon steps into my makeshift room at the firehouse. I share the room with him and Tyler. But there is a top bunk that I've claimed as mine and a small closet for my things when I'm on duty and they all know not to touch my things.

"We got another fire call. Rookie, get up and moving!" Damon shouts at me, watching me pull my aching and throbbing body up from the thin twin sized bed that I've been trying to sleep on for the last three hours and every turn or movement on it that I make with my body weight, makes me feel like I'm sleeping on pins and needles. Damn, I miss having my own bed right now, I miss being in my own place even more. I miss a lot of things when I'm here, but mostly I missing being able to sleep in piece.

"Let me sleep." I mumble, shoving him off of me as I close my eyes and pull my pillow over my head once again.

"While a fire burns down an apartment with people in it? Sure, Stefan. We'll let you sleep. But, it'll be on you buddy. Not me." Tyler states, pulling the covers off of me as I finally get up, glaring at both Matt and Tyler. They laugh when they hear me mumbling how much I hate them both and this job.

"You've only been with us for two weeks. This is nothing." Matt chimes in, lacing up his boots and tucking in his white t-shirt. "At least we haven't asked you to wash the fire truck yet. But, I'm pretty sure that will be coming up soon on our down time. Won't it, Tyler?" He questions as I notice the bright glistening in Tyler's eyes when he smiles widely. "You know what ? Matty. I think it will be...Just wait, Stefan..You think this is bad..Washing the truck will be your next assignment. Now, that's fun." He adds in with a laugh, getting a quick fist bump from Damon as he passes by and looks up at me once more. "Patrick wants to talk you before we head out to this call. You can't keep the boss waiting." My brother informs me before Tyler leaves the room.

Even his name gives me shivers down my whole spin as I make my way down to the ground and feel a tight squeeze from Matt on my shoulder. "Maybe it's about his daughter...So, how is Makayla these days? Still a pain in your ass?"

"She's my very own version of a girlfriend from hell." I reply back, not even blinking as I pull a shirt over my bare chest and glance at myself through the small mirror in the room. I look like shit. I haven't sleep well since about two days ago and every bone in my body is hurting as everyone else around me, seems perfectly fine. I make a mental note to myself that I need to jog more on my off days and sleep less.

"Aw, sounds romantic. Now, get down stairs to his office. Sounds important." Damon scolds me, nearly shoving me out of the room as I shake my head and straighten myself out. I hate this...The fact that I'm still with Makayla after three years...I also hate the fact that her father has had it out for me ever since I joined the team and now that I'm officially a fire fighter at the age of 21. As the years go on, he seems to hate me even more that I still haven't popped the question to his daughter or that I'm not taking her very seriously lately.

* * *

"Patrick?" I question, stepping into his office as I look around the empty room filled with certificates and medals of bravery from our fire house. The doors propped open enough so that I can see Matt and Tyler passing by, their helmets in their hands as they walk to the garages where the fire trucks are parked, preparing to leave for our call.

"Daddy, isn't here right now." She giggles in that soft seductive way that only she can. I feel her, pulling me back into the room which causes my hand to slam the door shut.

"Makayla." I mumble out with a startled breath, feeling her lips against my neck as she presses my body back up against the now closed door. Her hands moving up and down my stomach muscles which cause me to tense up and make her super giddy with excitement.

"Hi. I've missed you." She states, lifting herself up on her tip toes as her blonde hair sways and brushes against my skin. I inhale her scent deeply. She smells like raspberries and a small hint of smoke. I hate that she smokes- but, she refuses to quit and I've stopped nagging her about it.

"I've missed you too. But, I don't think this is a very good idea. Your dad is around here somewhere. I'm sure of it." I tell her, placing my hands on each side of her arms as she frowns at me, shaking her head and trying to convince me that Patrick isn't lurking like I always feel that he is. I'm fearful of her father..Actually to be completely honest..I'm scared shitless of what her father will do to me if he finds us in his empty office, all alone.

"No, he's not. Silly boy. Daddy went out to run some errands for the station. He left me in charge of the phones. That's why when I saw Damon, I told him that my dad needed to talk to you. But, really it was all a plan to get you alone. I just wanted to be alone with you, Stefan. Isn't that what you want too?" She asks me.

Hardly. Truth be told, I don't want to be around her right now. I'm already on probation and thin ice with her father and the department. Having any one of the big wigs finding me alone in the chief's office with his daughter would be a nail in my coffin. I smile, kissing her cheek and suggesting that she meets me after my shift is over at the local coffee shop or some diner near here. All I want to do is to get out of her father's office, as soon as I can- without anyone seeing us.

Makayla pouts, giving me these sad blue puppy dog eyes as she huffs out a breath and starts backing away. "Fine. I'll meet you at a boring coffee shop after your done with work. Maybe once we're done going out then we can stop by your place and have a little fun. I miss your apartment and I miss your bed." She comments, buttoning up her shirt again as she glances over at me, waiting for me to reply.

"Yeah, sure. Whatever. I'll see you later." I tell her briskly, stopping when she exhales heavily and shouts. "Stefan! You forgot something."

I turn back around, suddenly feeling her lips against my own, her hands running through my hair roughly as she grips on to me tightly, pulling back to catch her breath. "I love you." She says.

I smile, kissing her once more and leaving without saying it back. The funny thing is that even after 3 years of being with her. After having her be my little cheerleader...I can't get myself to tell her those same words back and fully mean them.

I've never said "I love you" to her...Not once.

I feel her arms around the middle of my stomach as she tighten them around me and rests her head against my back. "I love you, Stefan. When are you going to say that you love me too? When are you going to tell me those words." She urges me on.

I swallow down what I really want to say and instead I mutter out with an anxious tone. "I don't know, Makayla. I'm sorry. But, I have to go. I'll see you later today."

* * *

The line at the coffee shop is long and after coming off of no sleep and a long shift. I'm impatiently waiting for Makayla to get here. Yet, just as I walk in and look around, I feel strange in my sweat pants and sweat shirt. Lately, I've noticed that there's something odd about the way people seem to look at me when I walk around town wearing my black hooded sweatshirt with the FDNY logo written in white bold letters on the back and the small insignia of our district on my left shoulder. I shrug it off though, watching one of the neighboring unit's trucks drive by as I look out towards the street at all the people walking on the sidewalk. All of them seem too absorbed into cell phones to even notice the world around them and something about that makes me feel sad for a brief moment until I hear a ping go off and I feel my own phone vibrant against the table that I'm sitting at.

" _Can't make it for coffee. I'm sorry. I guess I'll just see you at your place later tonight though. Xoxo. I love you. -M"_ The message reads as I rub my face with my hands in frustration. I've been waiting for her for two hours now! Specifically walking down to this little coffee shop that's near the place where we just finished our last job. And, she can't make it now? You've got to be kidding me!

Anger makes me push away from the table, brushing past this girl on her cell phone as we both walk out of the coffee shop at the same time. I cross the street with her, listening to her conversation. She's talking about her work to some guy named Luke, laughing at him and saying that she'll see him in a little while as we cross the first cross walk without a problem, stopping at the second one.

The intersection is busy and packed with fast speeding cars, mostly hurried taxi drivers and business professionals all wanting to get home before 4pm. I'm not paying that much attention as I look up quickly at the changing lights and that's when it happens, a loud crash and a car that's driving erratically- right in our direction, comes speeding down the road.

My head snaps up when I hear the girl that was walking beside me, scream. Her body freezes in place and she doesn't move out of the car's way. It takes a moment for me to realize what's about to happen to her if I don't step in. So, I shout at her first, hoping that she'll move out of the way.

"Hey! Move out of the way! Lady, move it!" I shout to her. But, it's like she can't hear me and when I see that the car keeps coming faster and she seems nearly paralyzed by it's speed and by fear. I watch the cell phone in her hands drop to the ground, her eyes widen as she shuts them and that's when I run towards her.

I've never been that fearful of things, I guess that's why I like saving people so much. Rushing into danger as it comes flying at me gives me a slight high. It's that fight or flight response and watching the speeding car coming towards us, makes this even more exciting for me. I guess that's why when she doesn't move. I ran up behind her, placed my arms around her and moved us both out of the way. A loud thud echos into the air, as the speeding car drives past us when we both hit the ground, ending up all the way on the sidewalk because of my quick actions.

I feel blood on my face when I push up off of her, feeling her body trembling under me as I get to my feet. She looks up at me, watching me brushing off the dust from my body as I slowly bend down to speak with her. "Hey, miss. Are you okay?" I'm frantically pulling her up to her feet, checking her for any injuries as she stares at me with wide brown eyes and in a state of shock. "Talk to me. Ma'am...Look at me. I can help you. I'm a firefighter, trained EMT too..Take slow deep breathes, everything will be just fine. All you have to do is breath." I tell her when my cold and grainy feeling hands touch her warm and burning cheeks, checking to see how reactive her eyes are and if the fall caused her to have a head injury, forcing her to look at me with watery brown eyes.

She's shaking still, tears streaming down her face with a small gushing wound from her forehead. The falling tears mix in with the blood from the cut to forehead, all of it rushing down to her chin. I inhale deeply, feeling her push away from me as she looks around for her purse, the contents of everything she has in it are all scattered around us and the coffee cup that she had been holding when we crossed the street earlier is completely gone. Probably knocked out of her hand when we hit the pavement and somewhere in the gutter by now.

"Here, take my sweatshirt." I offer to her, unzipping it and placing it around her hunched over shoulders, hoping that it'll calm her nerves a bit. When I slowly move her over to the side of the curb to sit her down. That's when I feel her body tense up. The brunette is clearly badly shaken up and muttering words in no particular order when I ask again in a more calmed voice, my green eyes level with hers. "Ma'am, are you okay?"

I give her some space, exhaling in relief when I realize that she doesn't have any major injuries except for the small gash above her right eyebrow and the one on her forehead. Also, I'm thankful that she can walk on her own. But, I can tell that she's still dazed by being thrown to the ground as she looks up at me finally after a few minutes with a hollow expression in her eyes. She looks sad and she's still shaking from what I could only imagine is a traumatic event. I hear her inhale for a minute, then exhale. We stay silent as I contemplate calling the police- because, I know that's what I should have done. But, then she gets up, picking up a few things from her purse and shaking her head.

"Thank you." She says softly, looking down at the ground and then back up at me as she looks down at her black scuffed up converse shoes, the red apron that was in her hands is balled up into her shaking fists now and I can barely make out what it says. But, it looks like she works at a nearby diner.

"I was just doing my job." I comment in a nonchalant tone, extending out my hand to her, helping her steady herself as I ask once more. "Are you sure you're okay..I mean, you almost just got hit by a car. I should call you an ambulance."

She shrugs, dusting off her jeans and unzipping my FDNY sweatshirt to hand it back to me as my arm on hers stops her movements and our eyes find each others. "Keep it, it's the least I could do."

"You saved my life." She retorts, attempting to hand back my sweatshirt as I smile at her.

"Yeah, I guess I did. Look, you were in shock, clearly paralyzed from fear and I just stepped in. Like, I said. Doing my job." I comment, grinning and watching as she pivots on her heels, looking down at my sweatshirt in confusion.

" I'm serious, keep the sweatshirt..I have a few more. Consider it a reminder of the guy that prevented you from becoming road kill today." I joke with her, hearing a sweet laugh escape past her lips as I point to her head. "You might want to get that checked out. Look, I can do it for you..I have a first aid kit in my car." I offer, watching as she shakes her head, nervously looking around and then down at the watch on her wrist.

"I'll be sure to do that. Listen, superman. I actually need to go, late for work. But, thanks for jumping in and saving the day. Stopping that car from crushing me and all, I guess I owe you one." She adds with a soft hesitant smile and a bright brown gaze, walking away from me and zipping up my sweatshirt as I hear her thank me again before she disappears into the crowd and I don't even get the chance to ask her name. Watching her leave and causing me to wonder if her and I... This beautiful stranger, will ever cross paths again.

* * *

**A/N: Follow me on Twitter at BePassionate_24 for updates and please feel free to let me know what you all think. :)**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

 


	3. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Years before Stefan Salvatore became a father and went missing in "One and Only." He was a new rookie firefighter in New York City with a reckless and careless attitude. Until, he unknowingly saved the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Stelena,Bamon,Forwood)

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Two-**

**-Caroline-**

"So, how have you been doing?" My mom asks. She's been asking me that same question ever since I stopped working at the diner, 3 years ago. It's like she's trying to make sure that I'm happy with my choice of leaving that place. And, to be honest I am. Because, right after I left, I went back to school and started working on my degree. Years later and I finally have what I wanted. Although, it's not exactly how I had pictured everything would turn out to be. I'm struggling and Liz Forbes, my police officer mother - knows it. She carefully eyes me up and down as she takes a sip of water, watching me twirl my shiny wedding band around my hand, exhaling heavily.

"Works decent." I shrug, watching my mom crinkle her nose, placing her hand on top of mine as I give her a knowing look.

"Honey, I'm being serious. And, you're lying to me. Tell me the truth, how's the new job really going?" She suddenly asks me. Maybe she see's it- the unhappiness I feel, the misery in my blue eyes as I talk about my job and the current state of my marriage. Stuck at job that I thought would make me feel good about myself and yet, I'm a golfer and paper pusher at the Manhattan Police Department. And, in a marriage where my husband is more focused on his work than he is on me lately.

"I thought that after I got out of the academy, that I'd be going out on calls and things like that. But, instead my bosses stuck me in a room with this police officer who's around the same age as me and she thinks that she knows it all because she's been there for a year already. Her name is Lexi Branson- she pisses me off and I can't stand her! Oh and Tyler, he works non stop, he's barely home and we barely even get to see each other or spend time together." I admit, running my hands through my blonde hair as she exhales heavily."Honey, no one ever said that this whole 'being married' thing would be easy. It never was for your father and I…"

I don't know what I was thinking when Tyler and I decided to get married so young. Maybe it was the idea of having him be mine forever or the notion that once we were married that it'd be fun, easy, smooth sailing...Without any drawbacks. Boy, was I an idiot to think all of that!

"I love him, mom. Tyler's my best friend. But, we've been fighting lately...And-" The door unlocking to our new house stops me from going any further. I watch as Tyler steps inside of the entry way, his overnight bag from the firehouse is slung over his shoulder as he steps inside and watches my mom get up. She's got her keys in her hands, ready to leave the house as she explains. "Listen, honey. I'm going to get going. How about you enjoy the rest of your night in your new house with your husband. I'll see you soon." She adds, pulling me in for a hug and kissing my cheek as she passes by Tyler, patting his shoulder and softly saying. "It's nice to see you, Tyler. Have a good rest of your evening."

* * *

"So, what was your mom doing here?" He asks me. I can hear the running water in the bathroom as he steps inside and the hooks on the shower curtain are heard running across the rod.

"She just stopped by to see the house. And, she wanted to know how we were doing." I explain, opening the door to the bathroom and letting the steam escape, leaning my hands against the sink in the bathroom, looking at myself through the almost fogged up mirror.

"What'd you tell her?" he asks, the sound of the shampoo bottle rattling around on the floor of the tub. He stops when he hears the shower curtain and liner being pushed back, my fingertips are tracing the fabric of the yellow curtain in our bathroom as I lean into the hot and warm shower, staring at him and taking him all in.

Have I mentioned how much being away from Tyler and being angry at him all at the same time has been very inconvenient for me? My anger at this point for my husband has just turned into this lust and wanting, a sexual frustration that I can't even control anymore. It's been driving me crazy!

I pull back, not answering him and slipping off my plum colored tank top instead, stripping myself of my light colored jeans and exhaling heavily. The sound of his voice stops me for a moment though.

"Care, what did you tell your mother about what's going on with us?" He asks again. The sound of the running water continues as I close the door to the bathroom, feeling the room getting hotter and hotter by the minute. I'm smirking at the thought of running my hands over his moistened chest and the feeling of our bodies against each others...I'm smiling like the overly frustrated wife that I am..I want him- I want him bad!

"I told her that we should be pissed off at each other a lot more often." I reply back, unclipping my bra and slipping off my panties, watching them both fall on to the beige colored bathroom rug under my feet as I take a step inside of the shower and place my hand on to Tyler's back, running my fingers over flesh and leaning in to kiss the spot that I just touched. He turns around briskly and cups my face into his hands, causing my eyes to be level with his when he replies in a firm and raspy tone. "Yeah, we should fight more often." He tells me as he leans in towards my face and captures his lips against mine in a heated and sultry kiss, whispering against my lips. "I'm sorry."

I run my fingers through his wet hair, smiling up at him because I know that I've won this round in our disagreements as I brush my lips against his once more and whisper back. "I know, babe. But, you have to admit..This anger making up thing is pretty sexy."

Tyler laughs, locking his eyes onto mine before he kisses me once more when he adds softly. "Very sexy. I've missed you so much, Care. I really have." I smile at his words, wrapping my arms around his neck as the water from the shower cascades down upon us and I softly reply back in an honest tone. "I know, I've missed you too."

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"Stefan, what are you doing back so early?" I question him as he walks inside of his small apartment. I'm not thrilled to really see him to be honest, I've been working on trying to fix up his place since he moved in just two months ago and with all these boxes..I don't know where to begin and Stefan being here to bother me right now, just put a kink in my plans to surprise him with cleaning up this mess that he calls an apartment.

"Hey Bon." Stefan says, walking over to me and pulling me into an awkward hug as I smile at him when he backs away. He's got a smudge of dirt on his face, his hands are dirty too and the one thing that he always wears while he's at work, is missing.

"Aren't you supposed to still be at work?" I ask him again, watching as he runs his hands through his hair and licks his lips. He's got scrapes on his arms, a dried up cut above his left eye. He looks like's been in a fight and I'm silently hoping that he wasn't because, he's been on very thin ice with everyone lately- including the department.

"I need to go shower." He replies, ignoring me completely as I huff out a breath and shake my head at him.

"What happened?" I ask a little louder and in a bit firmer tone, trying to get more than just a vague answer from him. Because, he knows how much I hate vague answers and how worried I get about him and his brother while they're out working and risking their lives.

"Some girl, she was going to get hit by a car and I jumped in. I don't know, Bon. I've never felt a rush like that working at the firehouse yet. I know, it's only been two weeks since I started at the station. But, this was something else, watching her face looking back up at me, like she was so thankful that someone was there, that someone cared enough to step in. It was the strangest thing." He confesses, placing his hand against the hallway wall, about to turn on the light as I pause, staring at him.

He watches me place one of his pictures that he had taken with Makayla just a few weeks ago down on the coffee table when I ask. "So, where's your sweatshirt? You never take that thing off, it's like your good luck charm or something. It's gotten you this far with the academy and training. It has your last name on it, Stefan. She could be some crazy stalker and find out where you live!"

Stefan laughs, running his hands through his hair as he shrugs his shoulders, leaning his back against the wall when he replies. "I gave it to her. Figured that she could use it..And, I highly doubt that she's a stalker, Bonnie. She...I don't know, she was hard to read. All I know is that she was thankful to me for saving her life and that's all that matters. All in a days work." He winks at me, pointing to the picture on the coffee table as he adds. "Makayla's going to be here soon."

"Wonderful." I roll my eyes at his words, watching him pause in the middle of the hallway, tensing his back muscles. "You don't like her, I know. But, I just wish that you'd give her a chance." Stefan replies, turning back to me.

I've got my hands on my hips, head tilted to the side as I think about his relationship with Makayla. He's been with her for three years and as much as she wants to be with him. It's like he's disconnected, completely from her or whatever their relationship even is anymore. "Do you even love her, Stefan? Because, I feel like you're just stringing her along…" My voice trails off as he looks at me, closing his eyes tightly for a moment.

"I don't know. I've gotten used to her being around." He admits with hesitation, crossing his arms over his chest, glancing over at me as I take a seat on the white suede couch in his apartment, grabbing a red pillow from behind me and placing it in my lap. He looks sick as he watches me lean down and place my hands into an opened moving box. I can hear his breathing become deeper, his footsteps approaching me as I undo the leather binding of the journal in my hands and lean back into the couch. Stefan sits down beside me- probably pissed off that I've been snooping around his things. But, he's known me well enough to know that I won't quit until I make my point. Until, I make him realize that what he has with Makayla isn't what he really wants and even though he can't say it to my face. I already know by his words that he doesn't want to be with her anymore.

" _I keep thinking that I'm not going to feel like this. I keep thinking that something will change between us and that I'll learn to love her as much as she clearly loves me. Yet, we're from two different worlds and the sad thing is that I've gotten so used to her now that I can't see myself being alone...I hate being alone, the thought of it scares me. But, I can't do this anymore...I can't be what Makayla needs when I feel like I don't even know myself anymore. I'm not in love with her..And, to be honest- I don't think I ever have been."_

I finish reading the last sentence as he looks over at me, hopelessness in his eyes. "I've gotten used to her, Bonnie. I may not love her like she loves me. But, I've gotten used to having her around and I can't...I don't want to give that up."

His green eyes are darkened as I close the journal, placing it on the coffee table when he watches me lean forward and place my hand on to his shoulder, squeezing his arm just a bit as I add. "I know you have. But, you can't keep being in this pointless relationship with this girl who will always want more from you than you'll ever be able to give her. Stefan, it's not fair."

"My voice of reason." He chuckles, looking down at my bare hand and for a moment, I think he's about to change the subject to my relationship with his brother and when he does, I cringe.

"You know, Damon's an idiot for not wanting to place a big fat diamond ring on that finger of yours yet. Bonnie, you're good for him. He's making a mistake for waiting so damn long to marry you." I smile at the sincere tone in Stefan's voice, lifting my head up off his shoulder and looking up at him. "Yeah, I'd like to think so. I just wish that he'd stop being so fearful of committing to me. I'm a good catch." I tell him with a beaming smile as he nods. "Hell, I'd marry you if you weren't head over heels for my brother." Stefan jokes, pulling me in close to him as he hugs me tightly and says. "I'll talk to Makayla just for you. I think you're right, I shouldn't string her along anymore. It's not fair."

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"What do you mean, you can't do this anymore?" She shouts at me, hands tightly balled into fists as her baby blue eyes become watery and she stands in my bedroom, picking up her belongings.

"Us...Makayla. I can't do us anymore." My voice cracks a bit as she walks over to me and sits on the edge of my unmade bed. I'm stupid and an idiot for having sex with her, just a few hours ago. But, she makes me weak and I thought that maybe, it'd change my mind. It didn't though and now, I feel like an even bigger asshole for "stringing her along" as Bonnie had said.

"Is it my father? I know he doesn't like you, Stefan. He thinks that we're not good for each other!" She exclaims, pushing off of the bed and pacing my bedroom floor, looking around for a few more things that she can take with her. I watch her for a long drawn out moment, not looking at me as tears stream down her face and she sniffles loudly. I don't love her as much as I used to in the beginning of all of this. But, I still hate seeing her cry over me.

"Listen, it's just until I figure things out. I just..We need a break for awhile." I tell her, hoping that my words will stop her tears. But, they just increase instead as she walks over to me, pulling me close and sobbing into the curve of my neck. "I love you, Stefan. I love you, so much." She cries as I hold her in my arms. I feel like a total jerk for breaking it off this way. But, maybe we're both better off and who knows, maybe we'll eventually grow and learn from our break up.

"I know." Is all I can manage to get out of my mouth as I hold her and listen to her crying, telling me that she'll do anything to make this work.

"It's not you, Makayla. It's me. I need to figure my life out and I just, I feel like I'm dragging you with me into a deep hole that neither of us can climb out of. Maybe when I've figured things out, we can give our relationship another try. But, for right now. I think it's best if we just remain friends."

"Friends?" She asks, lifting her tear stained cheeks up from my shoulder and watching me nod.

"I can't be your friend, Stefan. It's going to be too hard!" She says with an anger laced tone. I don't know what else to say to her, so as she sits in my lap. I hold her for a long time, inhaling sharply before I finally find the right words. "We'll figure it out. I promise. And, maybe it'll be better for us this way, taking a break for a while." I point out, listening as she huffs out a breath and mumbles out. "It'll be better for you. But, it's going to be hell for me. I can't picture myself being away from you for long..I'm going to miss you too much."

* * *

**-Elena-**

"What the hell happened to you and where's my coffee?" Luke asks as the small bell above the door rings when I step inside the back door through the alleyway. He's in the kitchen, leaning against a stainless steel table. His arms are crossed over each other and his facial expression fills with amusement as he talks to one of the line cooks. Knowing him for as long as I have, he's probably been hassling the cook to feed him an early lunch, like he always does.

"I fell." I reply hastily to his question, seeing as he winces at the sight of my cuts and grabs a hold of my hand, pulling me to a walkway between the kitchen and a small room with a set of tables that we only use for banquets.

He tells me to sit down on one of the chairs in the room with four round tables in a stern voice, closing the sliding doors behind him, leaning against them for a moment as he huffs out a breath, pivoting on his heels before he speaks to me. Luke looks terrified and watching his dark green eyes change from amused to scared have made me panicked a bit as well.

"What happened, Elena? Did your mom's boyfriend do this? Was it your mom?" He questions with a serious tone, exhaling heavily as I shake my head. "No, I haven't seen her in weeks, Luke. I swear it wasn't her or her boyfriend. I had a bit of an accident." I tell him honestly. It doesn't take me long to decide that I shouldn't lie to him, he's been my best friend here- the only friend that I've had in a long time and it just doesn't feel right to lie to him..The only friend I have.

"Accident? Why aren't you at the hospital?" He questions, taking a seat across from me at the round oak table as I watch him pull the sleeves to his white long sleeve shirt and lean back into his chair, bracing himself for what I'm going to tell him.

"I can't afford what the medical bills would cost, I don't have insurance and I'm fine..I just...I almost got ran over- by a car. But, I dodged it just in time. It's okay now." I shrug. Watching as his eyes widen and he looks floored, his eyes glued to me when I feel him grab a hold of my hands that are laying straight across on the table.

"Elena, what the hell! And, you're at work? Go home and..." Luke pauses, taking a better look at the sweatshirt that I'm wearing. It's too large for me so I had to fold back the sleeves and roll them up to my elbows, the white writing on it is visible though as I watch him scan it with his eyes and he shakes his head. "Where did you get that from?"

My brown eyes grow even wider than his as I sigh out a breath, watching him still staring at it as he suddenly states. "You do realize that whoever gave you that sweatshirt..Forgot to mention that it's customized from their department and that he's a fire fighter. It has his name on it, assuming it's a guy." Luke tells me pointing down to the patch on the right side of my shoulder, one that I hadn't noticed until now, that clearly reads "Fire Department. City Of New York. Est.1877."

"A firefighter?." He smiles, leaning into me with a grin as I roll my eyes at him, just waiting for him to ask me his next burning question.

"No, I didn't catch his name and yes, he was hot. Sadly though, I was busy trying to breathe and calm myself down when he threw us both down to the pavement on the sidewalk. But, I doubt that I'll be seeing him again." I confide in him, getting a hardy laugh out of Luke as he shrugs his shoulders back, popping his tense neck to the side.

"You were pinned under him?" Luke asks with a wink, pausing as he stretches out his arms and adds. "Sounds kinky." His laughter fills the small space as I shake my head, balling up a napkin from a small silver dispenser on the left side of us. He smiles as he watches me wad it up and throw it at him, groaning. "Shut up, Luke! He saved my life and I don't even know his name."

"Salvatore." He responds, watching me give him a puzzled look as I tilt my head to the side. "What?" I ask.

"It's on the left side of the sweatshirt. I'm guessing it's his last name or it could be his first name..Sounds European...Italian, maybe? This is going to be fun, trying to figure this all out. Can't wait until we find more about more about your mystery guy. He sounds like a decent guy..I mean, he risked his own life to save you. I'd like to hug him and say thanks, for saving the only girl that I can tolerate in this place." He states, pushing himself up from his chair as he watches me unzip the sweatshirt, tracing my fingers over the lettering on the emblem, repeating his last name and smiling as the syllables of it leave my lips. Salvatore...My hero.

* * *

The weeks pass by in a daze as the cuts on my face begin to heal and for the first time in weeks I've felt the best I've ever felt in a long time. Things seem to finally be looking up, which make me happy. Maybe it's the fact that ever since my near death experience that I've learned to appreciate things a little more- who knows.

I watch Luke rush past me with a large brown tray full of food, glancing back to see me tightening my apron around my waistline, the red fabric hits just above my knees, laying against my black pants and my white short sleeve t-shirt. It's unusually hot for an August day and I'm earlier than usual for work, which is pretty surprising for everyone around me- including Rosie.

"Elena! A large group just came into your section. Get a move on young lady!" Rosie shouts over her shoulder, passing by me and stopping to inspect my outfit. "Make sure to pull that hair back into a tight ponytail, I don't want any hairs found in the food..The last thing I need is a health inspector roaming around my establishment!" She scolds as I nod, grabbing my small notepad and a pen from the cash register up at the front. I inhale deeply as I watch Luke returning. He pauses with the empty tray, leaning into my ear as he whispers. "You look good. That's a good thing by the way because a group of tired looking firemen just walked through that door. Good luck with that." He adds, winking at me as I plaster a smile on my face, tucking my notepad into the left side of my apron pocket, walking over to the group with my chin up and a smile on my face. It's 7am and the work day has only began. But, the moment I step towards the table and catch a scent of smoke, glancing over the group of the four hunched over, very tired looking men, something tells me to turn back around. I'm not exactly sure what it is. But, once my eyes glance over them all. I'm hesitant and so I pause- just feet away.

"Aren't you going to go over there and get their orders?" Luke asks from behind me as I turn towards him, searching his eyes.

"I can't go over there." I reply back, shaking my head and just about to turn back around to hide in the kitchen or behind the counter. But, Luke's strong arms stop me in my tracks. He looks past me for a minute, at them. Then, I watch as he makes the same realization and connection that I just did. "He's in that group of guys, isn't he?"

I swallow hard, closing my eyes and smiling just a little as I lock my eyes onto him and simply reply. "Yeah, he's here. The guy from the coffee shop is here. The one who saved my life..He's sitting at that table."

Luke laughs a little, leaning towards me as he whispers into my ear. "So, take a chance, Elena Gilbert and go over there. Introduce yourself to him. Maybe this time, you can actually leave a better impression than getting yourself pinned under him." He winks, turning me around towards them, which is hands placed on each side of my arms. I can feel my body lurch forward, when Luke nearly shoves me into the walkway that leads to their table. I look back at him as he waves, encouraging me to continue walking. And for a moment, I swear I can hear my mind screaming at me. _"Don't make a fool of yourself..Elena. You'll regret it!"_

* * *

_A/N: Hey all! So, I split this chapter into two chapters instead of just one. Hope you all like the updates!_

_Thanks so much for reading & feel free to comment. :) _

 


	4. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Years before Stefan Salvatore became a father and went missing in "One and Only." He was a new rookie firefighter in New York City with a reckless and careless attitude. Until, he unknowingly saved the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Stelena,Bamon,Forwood)

**A/N: Follow me on twitter for updates at BePassionate_24  
**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Three- **

**-Damon-**

The brunette waitress looks like she's seen either a ghost or a really screwed up version of a scary movie. Because, she's just standing there, near the table- staring at us.

"Miss, aren't you going to be our server this morning?" I ask her with a beaming smile, watching as she straightens out her apron and her face becomes red when she glances over the four of us.

Tyler's been texting Caroline for the last hour, Matt's got his nose in the newspaper and Stefan and I are smiling up at her with perplexed looks on our own faces as to what the hell is wrong with this girl. "I..Um...I'll be with you in just a moment." She replies as we watch her shaking hands grab a hold of her notepad from inside her apron.

She pauses, exhaling deeply and glancing over at Stefan who's leaned over and making fun of Tyler. "You should talk dirty to her, women like when you do that type of crap." He says with a laugh. Only stopping when my foot under the table nudges him and he looks up at the girl again, eyebrows lifting.

"Alright boys, it's only 7 am and you all look exhausted. What will it be?" She asks, placing one of her hands onto one of her hips, looking all four of us over.

"Come on, someone better start speaking up before I start ordering for you." She comments, still smiling as she looks each of us in the face.

"Waffles and coffee is fine for me." Tyler tells her in a nonchalant tone, waving her off as she looks over at Matt, who replies with the same thing. She laughs a little when she overhears Tyler tap his hand against the table, narrowing his eyes onto Stefan as he says with a playful tone. "Salvatore, maybe that's why you just got dumped..Women want to romanticized, not talked dirty too. Take it from someone who knows." He winks, looking up at the brunette with a grin.

It takes her a moment. But, once her eyes are locked on to my brothers, it's like she looses her tough demeanor and becomes intrigued by him.

"What's your opinion?" Stefan asks her, watching as she squirms under his gaze when he looks her up and down, stopping his eyes at her chest and then finally making it to her face.

"Mine? I'm just your waitress. My opinion shouldn't matter. So, what do you want to eat?" She asks him, changing the subject just as quickly as she can. Stefan shrugs his shoulders back, laughing as he looks over to me and then states. "Everyone's opinion matters, always. And, I'd really love to hear yours." He tells her with a bright smile. Adding in "I'll have pancakes and coffee. Same as my brother over here. But, I'd sure like a side of you as well, with my breakfast."

"Excuse me?" She pauses, leaning forward and placing her finger underneath his chin. Her eyes are burning with irritation as she locks them on to Stefan and states in a firm and take no shit from anyone tone. "Well, it looks like we have a comedian in the bunch. Listen, you asked for my opinion, pretty boy. So, here it is. No woman ever wants to be talked to like that..You really need to work on your flirtation skills. They suck and if you think that, talking to someone like that is sexy. It's not. Now, excuse me. I'll be back in a few minutes and I'll make sure that the cooks make your food, extra hot so that it burns your mouth before you speak to me like that again." She replies, turning back on her heels as Stefan and I watch her leave. Once she's gone, his smile fades when he points back towards the kitchen where she had disappeared off to as I shake my head. "What the hell was that?"

Stefan smiles, a gleaming look in his green eyes as he explains. "Relax, Damon. That's the girl. The one I saved the other day..Apparently, she works here. What a nice little surprise." He comments, his green eyes filled with mischief as I hear him laugh, smiling up at me as I think about how much she would have just loved to kick his ass.

* * *

**-Elena-**

I'm hiding. More like avoiding him.

I can't go back out there, making a total fool out of myself and I'm hoping that maybe if I make up some excuse that Luke will take over that table. He knows me too well though, notices me leaning down behind the counter as I place my head in my hands, rubbing my face vigorously.

"Well, this is interesting...You're avoiding him. Why?" He questions, pulling me up as I get to my feet, tightening my ponytail when I look over at him, my brown eyes widening.

"He's an ass. And, I just...This is strange. He's that type of guy that I never thought I'd see again. You know, a chance encounter and that's it...What the hell do I do now?" My panicked voice makes him laugh as he places his hands against the edge of the check out counter and I watch him looking back at the table filled with the four tired looking firemen.

"Elena," Luke stops, smiling up at me as he says. "Put your big girl pants on and go out there. Be the sassy little server that I know you are. Have a little fun, live a little." He winks, walking past me when we both hear Rosie tell us to get back to work. I inhale deeply, muttering his words of advice under my breath, straightening out my apron and heading back to the kitchen to see if their orders are done.

"Elena. Are you having a problem with that table?" Rosie asks me with a hash voice, tilting her head to the side as her brown circle shaped glasses fall down to the tip of her nose and I shake my head. "No problem at all. Just getting their orders." I comment quickly, taking a stand from behind the counter and heading towards the kitchen as I hear her mumble "Good, now get back to work, Miss Gilbert."

* * *

I inhale deeply as I overhear both of the brothers talking and laughing, saying something about how their last job was a total mess and how the guy named Stefan got stuck with the backlash from his boss, Patrick.

"He seriously almost had you kicked out because you said that you couldn't lift the guy and take him down a flight of stairs!" A blonde haired guy that I found out is named Matt states as he pats Stefan on the shoulder and looks up at me, clearing his throat and suddenly getting serious all over again.

"Behave yourself, you animal." Stefan tells him jokingly, leaning over the table as he playfully punches Matt in the arm and they all stop when they hear me place down their plates of food in front of them, filling up their coffee and water cups.

"I apologize about him. He hasn't been out in civilization for a few days. I think that the soot and inhaled smoke from our job has eaten away at his brain cells." Stefan winks, glancing up at me as he lifts his hand up and brushes it against my wrist, saying that he was trying to get to the maple syrup. My brown eyes lock on to him, the lump in my throat prevents my words from being hissed out as I just shake my head and pull my hand away.

"From our last encounter just a little while ago, sir. It doesn't sound like you have either. Enjoy your breakfast, boys." I mumble out, turning away and trying to calm my staggered breath, heading towards the back rooms in hopes of no one stopping me. But, just as quickly as I think that no one will, I hear his voice from behind me.

"Miss...Ma'am!" He shouts out. I'm standing near the bathrooms. My hand placed on the brown and heavy women's restroom door as I untie my apron and turn towards him.

"Yes?" I question, watching as he wipes his hands off of his jeans, extending it out to me with a beaming smile.

"I don't know if you remember me. But, I'm the guy...The one who saved your life a few days ago...'Superman' I think that's what you had said." He cheerfully reminds me as I nod. I remember him, that's why I've been avoiding him..Avoiding this exact moment to be honest.

I take a step towards him, reaching for his hand and shaking it. I swear the moment his hand touches mine, it's like a push and pull towards him. One that I've never felt with anyone in my life before. I clear my throat, releasing his hand as he looks down at the ground, biting on his lower lip. His green eyes are brightened, the sweet and sincere smile is still in place when he speaks up again. "I wanted to see if you were okay. Look, I never got the chance to ask you that before you took off a few days ago. And, about earlier..I was just messing with you. I'm a bit of comedian and I joke around a lot. To be honest, I've been thinking about you lately."

" I've noticed and that's very sweet of you. But, I'm fine, really. Listen.." I try to say as he runs his fingers through his hair, glancing down at my hands with a smile as he adds. "For a waitress, you sure have some soft hands."

I can feel my face blushing as I squirm under his heavy and intense gaze. My mind draws a blank and the only stupid thing that I'm able to utter out is. "I use a lot of moisturizer."

Who is this guy and why in the hell is he making me feel so...Uncomfortable?

He laughs, his pearly white teeth shining as I watch him run his tongue over his teeth, making a popping noise with his mouth and rocking on the soles of his dark brown boots as my eyes unknowing rest on his outfit. He's wearing dark jeans, a FDNY black t-shirt that has the words "Engine 7. Ladder 17." On the side in bold white letters and just like his sweatshirt that he had given me, as I take a closer look. I notice his last name on the side. "Salvatore."

"You're feisty. I like that." He suddenly says, snapping me out of my lock that I have on his outfit and the thoughts that seem to be running rampant through my mind..Like, one question in particular..Why does he seem to have this strange effect on me..I don't even know him!

"No, actually. I just don't tolerate inappropriateness very well." I comment, pointing to my outfit as he smiles and looks past me, as if he's searching for something more to say. But, the sound of the bell above the door ringing in the diner stops his words as he watches me place my apron around my waistline again and huff out a breath. I try to push past him. But, I feel his hand latch against my elbow as he leans in towards my ear, whispering.

His breath smells like mints, like that spearmint gum that everyone chews all the time. And, I think I can hear it smacking around against his cheeks when he adds in. "It was nice meeting you. See you back at our table in a few minutes."

I watch as he takes a step back, still smiling and waving at me without another word. I can still feel the tingling of his hand against my skin, I can feel my heart racing against my chest as he walks away from me, turning back around to take one more glance at me when he adds. "Hope your enjoying the sweatshirt. It's my good luck charm. I figured that maybe it'd keep you warm."

"Yeah, thanks for that..It is." I mumble out, sounding like a complete idiot and reminding myself that the next time I see him that I need to keep myself in control. I inhale deeply, closing my eyes and preparing myself to get back to work, ignoring the fact that the feeling of where he had touched me, is still lingering against my skin with a warmth that I've never felt before.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"I thought you said that you were going to the bathroom." Tyler states, giving me a confused look as I take a seat by Matt, looking back out towards the counter, watching her move about and help out another group of people.

"Yeah, I went. Sorry it took so long." I reply to him, feeling Matt squeeze my shoulder as he asks. "Why do you keep staring at our waitress? You have the hots for her or something?" He jokes, leaning back into his seat as Damon, Tyler and I turn to see her coming our way once again. But, a short and chubby looking older woman stops her from coming over to us again as she starts talking to her.

"We should get going." Damon tells me, waving his hand in front of my face as I nod at him. We have a long night ahead of us and I know for a fact that if we don't leave now that we'll all be getting chewed out by Patrick for being late.

"Yeah." I reply to him, pulling out a small piece of paper from my pocket as Damon, Matt and Tyler all throw down a tip for her, moving out of their chairs briskly as I continue to sit for a moment, shrugging off Tyler who tells me once again. "Hey, we need to get going, Stefan."

"I'll be there in a minute. Hang on." I comment, placing the piece of paper on to the table and grabbing the pen that she had left behind when she first came around to our table. Damon watches me jot down a few words, leaning over my shoulder as he laughs. "Are you leaving her a note."

I shake my head. "No, I'm leaving her my address so that she can stalk me! yes, Damon..I'm leaving her a note." I retort back, hearing him sigh as he pats my back and joins the rest of the guys, watching me from the door as I quickly write down what I wanted to tell her earlier near the bathrooms.

"Come on, man!" Tyler shouts out loudly as I push off from my chair, tucking the small piece of paper along with her tip underneath the medium sized salt and pepper shakers before walking out the door.

I stop once I get outside, leaning against the firetruck. I watch her from the large glass windows, walking back to our table. She grabs the tip and shoves it into her red apron that reads Rosie's diner on the front. Then, she pauses as she reads over my words, shaking her head and smiling just a little bit as I remember what I wrote to her. " _Even if I never get to see you again, I want you to know that you're beautiful and it was my pleasure saving your life. Stay safe and just know that there's someone out here..Thinking about you….Have a nice day, pretty girl."_

* * *

_A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the update! :)_

_Please feel free to let me know what you think!_

 


	5. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Years before Stefan Salvatore became a father and went missing in "One and Only." He was a new rookie firefighter in New York City with a reckless and careless attitude. Until, he unknowingly saved the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Stelena,Bamon,Forwood)

**Follow me on Twitter at BePassionate_24 for updates and commentary for my stories.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Four**

**-Elena-**

"He left a note, Luke! He left me a note that's shoved in my purse and I don't know what to think about it." I complain, walking over to him as I grab a seat on one of the bar stools in the diner. Rosie's been out running errands all day and for some reason- on my day off- I've found myself back at work, bugging Luke about my problems.

"Well, have you read it?" He asks, taking a few pieces of silverware into his hands as I watch him roll them up into a napkin, getting them ready for the evening rush.

"I have, multiple times and I don't know what to think about it." I admit, watching his smile growing more and more as he stops what he's doing, extending out his hand. "Let me see it." He demands, still smiling.

I groan, pulling up the crumpled up note from my purse and handing it over to him as I watch him read it over, stopping when he states. "Well, we've ruled out that he's a nice guy. So, maybe this time when he comes in..You don't have to be so rude."

"The next time? I'm really hoping that there won't be a next time…" My voice trails off as I watch Luke's head snap up, a small laugh escaping past his lips when he leans forward and whispers against my cheek. "We both know that's a lie."

"I'll be done in a few hours. We can go out and do something fun. Come on, Elena. You rarely go out with me and I want to take you out. Diner, drinks. Fun, something you don't do very often." He says, watching my hand grip onto my jacket as I look up at him. "I don't know, Luke. I hate going out and spending money I don't have."

It takes an instant for him to give me that face. You know the one, full of disappointment and slight irritation with anyway that I try to spin it. Luke still won't take no for an answer. " Oh for god sakes...Always the responsible one. Go home, get dressed and we'll go out." He tells me, smiling as I roll my eyes at him, huffing out a "Fine. Okay." through my gritted teeth as he watches me slide off of the bar stool table and head out the door.

"Maybe if you're lucky. You'll get hit on and someone will take you home today. You could use it!" Luke winks as I pivot on my heels, waving him off and telling him to stop talking before he embarrasses me and himself as I walk away and think about how much I don't want to go out tonight. But, I'm doing it for him. My best friend.

* * *

The club is dark and loud, the music is blaring as Luke latches his arm around mine. I shouldn't be here...Curled up at home with my nose in a book- that is where I should be! Instead, I'm here..surrounded by drunk men and loud music, feeling completely and utterly uncomfortable.

"This isn't my scene!" I shout out towards him, watching his head whip back around as he places his hand on top of mine and drags us further towards the dance floor. "Live a little, Elena." He shouts, pulling me closer as he places his hands onto my hips and moves us to the flow of the music, leaning towards my ear as he speaks. "If I wasn't into guys..I would so date you." He jokes, kissing me on the cheek as I spin around, running my hands jokingly over Luke as he laughs, pausing for a moment.

"What is it?" I ask him, watching his face fall as I see his adam's apple move up and down, swallowing hard.

"Oh nothing. Just one of those guys that came into the diner with your 'superman' is checking you out right now." Luke states, pulling me close and placing his hands firmly on to my ass.

"What are you doing?" I whisper, attempting to pull myself away from Luke. Just as I feel a hand firmly being placed on my shoulder. "Waiter girl." He grins as I turn around and my eyes meet his dark blue gaze. I can smell the odor of alcohol on his breath as he pulls me towards him, away from Luke and adds. "Wanna drink?"

My eyes widen at Luke, who tries to intercept me from walking over to the bar with him. "Um, I think that we should-." He shakes his head, placing his arm around me and leaning in. "You smell nice."

I just smile, trying to pull myself away from him as I look back at Luke who looks helpless, looking around the bar for the other guys. But, the blonde guy seems to be alone tonight. His name is Matt. I don't know his last name. But, I remember that his first name is Matt and that he seemed friendly enough. So, a drink doesn't seem like that bad of an idea.

He sits down, smiling when I take a seat beside him, turning my feet in towards the bar table when he looks over at me with a wide eyed glance. "So, what was your name again?" He asks. I look back behind me, noticing that Luke isn't really in sight anymore and figuring that he probably went off in search of a new dancer partner.

"Elena." I reply simply. Watching him extend out his hand towards me. "Matt Donovan. It's very nice to finally meet you, Elena." He says. His blue unfocused eyes shift away from me as he notices that I'm tense and I watch him lift his two fingers up, whistling out towards the bartender, who walks over to us completely cheerful. "What will it be?" He asks us, looking at Matt who's already slurring his words just a little. I watch Matt's mouth open and just as he's about to order, a tall and red headed young guy walks up behind him, patting his back. "There you are man! I've been looking all over the place for you. Stefan, wants a drink."

"I was just about to order for the lady here. Back off, Daniel!" He sternly says. I can see his eyes harden a little as the guy that's called Daniel backs away, shrugging his shoulders. "Fine, I'll tell Stefan to order for himself then. Since you're clearly busy." He exclaims before leaving us alone, giving me a sweet smile.

"Well, I was just about to ask if you were here all alone. But, he just gave me my answer." I laugh a little, watching Matt's glazed over eyes shine as he smiles softly at me once again. "I'm not here alone. But, are you?"

Matt's eyes are softened suddenly at the idea of me being by myself. I don't think much of it, although the way he asks the questions it's like he's trying to imply something more then drinks afterwards, like us ending up at his place so that he can sleep with me and for some reason, it just rubs me the wrong way. " I came here with a friend. He's here, somewhere. Listen, you seem like a nice guy and all. But, Matt…..I'm not here looking for a meaningless hook up. Honestly, I'm not looking for anything at all. Just a nice time."

"Matty! So, this is where you've been hiding- with all the pretty women." I hear a voice coming up from behind us, see his green eyes brightening and the smell of his aftershave. Ugh, why does he have to look so good in a button up flannel white and red colored shirt, dark jeans with a brown belt around his wasit. The sleeves of it are rolled up just a little past his elbows as he licks his lips, whispering something to Matt that clearly angers him. But, the guy just doesn't even care.

"Was he hassling you? Because, I'm sorry if he was. Matt's had a hard day and he likes picking up women at bars. It's sad to watch, really.." I turn back towards the table, noticing that he's still talking to me. However, now he's slide beside me into the seat that Matt had occupied just moments ago.

"You know, we need to stop meeting like this. This is our third encounter and I don't even know your name. All I keep calling you in my head is "waiter girl." He laughs, extending out his hand with a beaming smile. "I'm Stefan."

There's something about him in the moment. It's the oddest of things and I wonder if he can feel it too. Because, shaking his hand and watching his eyes on me suddenly make me calm and happy that I went out with Luke tonight.

"I'm Elena." I reply back in a relaxed tone, feeling his thumb brush over the top of my hand as he continues to smile, huffing out a breath when he effortlessly waves the bartender over once again. "Do you drink, Elena?" He asks me, locking his green gaze onto my brown eyes. Looking over at him, makes something in my stomach tighten as I look him over. His chiseled jawline, his green eyes are soft and warm, friendly. Something about him, suddenly makes me want to stay longer. And, it's not just because he's very handsome!

I shrug my shoulders back. "Not really." I tell him honestly, watching his face fall a bit. I had seen what drinking had done to my mother- it's destroyed her life from the inside out and I rarely drink at all because of it..Because, I'm afraid of becoming like her. Losing my father had wrecked her and ever since we lost him, none of us had ever been the same. Although, I shake my hesitation off when the bartender walks over because just for one night- I'm trying to take Luke's advice as it echoes through my mind. " _Live a little, Elena."_

"I'll have whatever you're having. Maybe I'll drink you under the table." I comment. Stefan's face lights up as he shakes his head.

"Sweetheart, you couldn't keep up with me if you want to. And, well since I'm off the clock and have been since yesterday. How about we celebrate the fact that we've finally meet each other?" He asks as I smile, hearing him telling the bartender to bring us two beers.

"So, what are you doing in a nightclub in downtown Manhattan, alone?" He asks as I push my hair to the side, watching his eyes rest on my tan skinned bare legs and the short black mini skirt that I decided to wear tonight with my black flats and a bright red button up blouse. I'm regretting the choice because it's been attracting all sorts of wandering eyes. With the exception of Stefan because he actually is staring at my face and wanting to engage in a decent conversation, which makes me feel like a human being instead of like a piece of meat. The way I had felt with Matt, just moments earlier.

"I actually came here with a friend of mine and now, I can't find him. It was his idea- coming here, not mine." I hastily explain, watching Stefan place his hands in front of his face as he rubs his eyes, yawning.

"So, what are you doing here?" I ask him.

He turns his head towards me, letting out a laugh as he exhales out a breath before explaining any further. " I was invited to this thing by another friend of mine. He works with me, Daniel Johnson. You've probably seen him around. Tall, red hair and freckles with these piercing green eyes. He's a very good friend of mine. We've known each other since we were kids. It's his birthday party tonight and a bunch of us from the station decided to take him out." Stefan tells me, grabbing the drinks from the bartender as he walks back towards us and hands them to Stefan.

"Here you go." He says, handing me the ice cold beer as I watch him take a long drawn out sip of his.

"Thanks." I mumble out, turning back around to keep my eye out for where the hell Luke went because I'm hoping that once I get done with this drink that he and I can get the hell out of here!

"So, how about you come and join me and the crew? I'd hate to leave you sitting here all alone, waiting around for your friend who seems to have clearly ditched you." I hear him tell me as my head snaps up from the beer in my hands. "If you want." I hear him add in quickly as I sigh out a breath and think about his offer. Stefan's right, maybe I could go sit with him and his friends instead of wait around for Luke, since I have no idea where the hell he ran off too.

As he allows me to step in front of him. I feel his hand brush up against my lower back, guiding me to his group of what I can only expect to be a bunch of drunk off duty firefighters and nothing else. I remind myself that I'm going to have to scream at Luke when I call him in the morning to ask him why the hell he left me all alone at a club that I never even wanted to be at!

* * *

**-Caroline-**

This club is filthy and filled with drunks. But, I'm happy that Tyler and I are together for once this week and that we're both a little buzzed and celebrating. "Daniel Johnson!" I shout out. Running towards Daniel and hugging him tightly. My hair bouncing up and down as I back away and find a seat beside his soon to be wife, Melanie. I've known Daniel since Tyler and him were in the academy together. I had met him about two years ago and I've always loved him. He's happy, funny and just the life of the party. He also best friends with Stefan, Tyler, Matt and Damon.

"Caroline! So glad that you could make it. Sit, drink, enjoy yourself and tell your husband to get up and dance. Melanie's been wanting to see him shake his ass a little!" Daniel jokes, flashing us a pearly white smile as he points towards Tyler who's shaking his head and leaning against a very intoxicated Matt Donovan. Both of them, wedged between Damon Salvatore.

"Well, If I could peel my husband off of his boyfriends over there. Trust me, I would. Sometimes I think that he loves them more than he does me." I shout out loudly, turning on my heels and spitting out my words. Damon's head snaps up as he kisses Tyler on the cheek playfully and glances over at me, shouting his words back. "Don't be jealous, Your husband is hot..If I didn't like women so much..Tyler would be my replacement for Bonnie." He winks.

I laugh, feeling someone leaning against me. In the way she's resting her chin against my shoulder. I know that it's Bonnie Bennett. We're both laughing, heated red cheeks as she yells at them. "Aw, how sweet. Your bromance with Caroline's husband is ridiculously adorable, sweetie. However, it looks like Caroline and I will need to elope then. Sorry, Damon."

Groaning sounds fill the table as Bonnie and I turn around, laughing. And, that's when we hear a deep laugh when he approaches from behind us with a familiar brunette that I can't seem to place in the dim light.

"What's up with this talk about eloping? I was gone for a few minutes, getting a beer and someone's already madly in love. Well, that escalated pretty quickly. When's the wedding?" He asks in a joking manner, holding a beer firmly in his left hand.

"Stefan!" Matt, Tyler and Damon all shout in unison, pushing themselves up from the overly squishy white cushioned seats in the dark night club that's only light up from strobe lights.

"Where'd she come from?" I hear one of them ask as I look up, getting a better look at the girl that's standing beside Stefan.

"Elena Gilbert?" I ask her, seeing her seemingly tired brown eyes lock on to mine. She smiles, nervously as I approach. "Oh my god, I haven't seen you in years!" I exclaim, pulling her into a hug as I feel her arms loosely wrap around me.

"Caroline. It's nice to see you again." She tells me, backing away with a smile as I glance over at Damon, Tyler and Matt. Even Stefan seems a little taken back that we know each other. So, I explain. "Elena and I used to work at a diner together for a while." I explain to them as I see Stefan's eyebrows lift and he nods.

"How do you two know each other?" I ask her. Pointing to her and Stefan, watching as she begins to shake her head, opening her mouth. But, Stefan cuts her off. "It's a really long story." He quickly says, brushing it off when he clears his throat and says. "Elena, let's meet the rest of the group, shall we?" He asks her. I smile, watching him point to Matt, Damon, Tyler and then to Bonnie and back to me.

"Welcome to the club!" Tyler jokes, winking at Stefan as I reach out and grab a hold of Elena's hand, begging her to sit beside me and instead of next to Stefan. "We have a lot of catching up to do!" I explain, pulling her in my direction and sitting her on my left side as Bonnie sits on my right, staring off at Damon.

"So, you married Tyler?" She asks as I nod, grinning. "Yeah, I did. How about you? Did you ever move on from Rosie's? Are you dating anyone?" I watch her brown eyes soften as she shakes her head, leaning back into her seat.

"No. I wish I had. But, I needed the money and so, I stayed. It's not the best job in the world. Although, it's something. And, I'm not dating anyone." She tells me in a nonchalant tone, glancing over at Bonnie who seems too busy to notice because she's practically drooling over Damon and his tight jeans with his short sleeved black shirt.

"Listen, it's very nice to see you again, Caroline. And Bonnie, it was wonderful meeting you. But, I think I should get going. I have work in the morning and I can't show up hung over or sleep deprived." She comments, politely excusing herself as I lean forward, stopping her by gently grabbing a hold of her wrist. "This part isn't the safest in town and you shouldn't walk alone."

I release her hand, waving over at Stefan and I swear that for a moment, I can see Elena's heart dying inside of her at the realization that I'm picking him for the job. She wants to tell me that she'll be fine and that she doesn't need a bodyguard. However, I know this area, I've learned a lot about it and it's around 1 am- anything could happen in this part of town with a young woman walking the street by herself in the early morning. "My apartment isn't that far from here. I can walk it. I have mace in my purse." She tries to say, trying her hardest to sound convincing.

"Nonsense! I'm having one of these big guys walk you home. Hey, Stefan! Come here!" I shout out, watching the four "work wives" hugging and laughing, fooling around with each other like a bunch of grown childish men.

"Yeah, Care. What's up?" Stefan questions, pulling down his shirt with a smile as he looks over at Elena, noticing her purse that's slung over her shoulder and the gray colored cell phone in her hands. "Going home already? You just got here." He points out, looking a little disappointed.

Elena blushes a little, yawning when she replies. "I have work in the morning and it's late. I really need to get home."

Stefan doesn't even question it anymore, looking down at the watch on his wrist as he smiles at her and says. "I'll walk with you. Let me just grab my leather jacket."

I push myself up off of my seat, smiling. "It was great seeing you again, Elena. You'll be in good hands with Stefan over here. He's a nice guy." I throw in, hearing her laugh a little when he comes up to her and asks. "Ready to go?" Bonnie and I see her nod as Stefan smiles and mouths a wordless "Thank you." in our direction.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"You didn't have to do this, you know. Walk me home." I hear her say as her steps sync with mine down the sidewalk and she shivers from the cold. "Here, take my coat." I comment softly, pulling it off of my shoulders and placing it around hers. Elena whispers a soft. "Thanks." As we continue to walk a in silence for a while.

"So, your friend left you. Huh?" I ask her, watching her eyes gaze up at me as she nods.

"Hm, what a jerk!" I hear myself say as she giggles a little. Her smile is soft and her brown eyes are glistening in the light. To be honest, I've never seen anything as beautiful as this girl in the moment. I'm not really sure if it's the beers that are flowing through my bloodstream or if it's really the fact that I'm unknowingly attracted to her for some reason. I shake my head, it's nothing. I barely even know her and she doesn't know me. Yet, here we are...stuck together just a few blocks from her apartment and I'm trying my hardest to not be an asshole.

"You left me a note." She blurts out, forcing me to stop in my tracks as I look at her. Playing the note off as if it wasn't that big of a deal.

"Who am I kidding. You must do that for all the girls you deem pretty enough to sleep with. God, I'm such an idiot. Look, Stefan. You can just go back to the club and join your friends again. I don't need a bodyguard, I can fend for myself." She tells me, crossing her arms over her chest and tapping her foot against the pavement, the loud thumping of her high heels echo around us when she does so. We're on the side of the street, underneath a lamp light as she stands there, eyeing me with irritation.

"What's the big deal about the note? I did something nice for you and I even made you smile. Jesus, why can't you just say "Hey, Stefan. Thanks for making my day a little better." My words must have hurt her in some way. Because, she's quiet, walking in front of me now with hers arms around her waistline shaking her head. It doesn't take long before I see her turn back around to me as she states. "I'm sorry, all right. I just don't know what to say. I guess it's because, no one has ever done anything like that for me before. It was a nice gesture."

"You're welcome." I mutter out, watching her point towards a 40 story building, stopping in front of it and shrugging off my jacket. Elena hands it back to me as she locks her eyes on to mine.

"So, I guess this is goodbye then." She tells me, lacing her fingers together nervously when I take a step back, shrugging my shoulders and adding in. "Yeah, I guess it is. Although, if you really want to know. I meant what I said when I wrote that note. Elena, in my line of work..We risk our lives every single moment and we all need someone to think about when we're out there, hoping that we'll get the chance to see them again."

She pauses, staring at me as I take a step towards her again, handing her a card. "I'd just like it if I could see you again. Call me, sometime- whenever you want someone to do something nice for you, like walk you home." I tell her, watching a smile form across her lips when I turn away. Starting to walk back to the club, only turning back to laugh when she shouts. "You took my advice and brushed up on those rusty flirting skills. Good job, maybe I will give you a call."

I stop in my tracks, turning back around to her with a wide grin as I reply. "You should. I'd love to walk you home again or maybe even buy you dinner next time. We all need that one person in our lives, Elena and I know that I don't know you very well yet. But, I want you to give me a chance. I want you to be that person for me, because we all need someone out there- that we'll hope that we will see again.. Anyways, have a good night.." I conclude, placing my hands into my pockets as I walk back to the bar with a smile on my face.

Although, it quickly fades as I feel my cell phone rattling in the pocket of my leather jacket. I'm not really in the mood for whoever it is. But, when I see the name flashing across my screen. I answer the phone anyways.

"Hello?" I answer, holding my breath when she drunkenly replies with. "Stefan, I want to see you again. I miss you and being away from you is killing me...Please, baby. Come over...Please!" I instantly recognize the voice as Makayla's and part of me wishes that I could stop myself from being an idiot for falling straight into her trap of loneliness and need.

I close my eyes tightly, trying to tell myself that this will be my downfall of stupidity for the night if I end up back in her room- in her bed. I'm struggling at how weak I get when it comes to her and that's when the sudden words flow out of my mouth without me even trying to stop them, making me feel a bit more under control. "I'm sorry, Makayla. I can't come over tonight and I don't think it would be a good idea for a while. Listen, I'll see you at the station in the morning. Good night."

The smile on my face is still there when I hang up the phone, making my cheeks hurt as I pull open the door and head back towards the group of my brothers, thinking about one thing…... _her._

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading & Please feel free to let me know what you think! :)**

 


	6. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Years before Stefan Salvatore became a father and went missing in "One and Only." He was a new rookie firefighter in New York City with a reckless and careless attitude. Until, he unknowingly saved the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Stelena,Bamon,Forwood)

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Five **

**-Stefan-**

My head is pounding as I look around the room. I'm still wearing my clothes from Daniel's party last night and I swear that when I roll over I feel something wet and moist under my body….Did I throw up in my sleep? Shit, that's pretty disgusting.

"Oh, you idiot! Pull your damn self together, Stefan!" I mutter under my breath, running my hand over my hair as I pull my aching body up from my messy bed. The sun hasn't even come up and I have to be at the station in a few hours. Damon's been worried about me, and he has every right to be. I've been a mess since I joined the squad and breaking things off with Makayla hasn't made things easier for me at all. So, working will help me..Or, at least I hope that it will.

I've tried to tell myself that I don't care, that I don't miss her. Although, looking around my small bedroom with scattered photo albums and my own pity party from last night tells a completely different story. I shake my head, groaning when I finally stand up straight, placing my hands over my head as I hear my cell phone buzzing under the mass amount of pillows on the bed. It's a little past 3:30 in the morning and someone's blowing up my phone with text message after text message.

God, I really hope that it's not-...My thoughts are running rampant as the loud and excessive knocking on the front door to my apartment make me forget the phone when I run out into the living room, not even bothering that I'm not wearing a t-shirt when I open the door in my dark blue sweat pants and see her staring back at me.

"You didn't want to come to me. So, I came to you." She states, pushing past me and shutting the door with her foot as I take a step back. It's 3 am and here she is, my ex-girlfriend. My weakness, standing right in front of me with a glistening of mischief in her eyes.

"You shouldn't be here. I told you that I'd see you at the station in the morning." I hear myself remind her once again. She's relentless though, already taking off her shoes and her coat, tossing them both aside as she steps in front of me with a devilish grin. "I know what you said. But, I don't care. I wanted to see you and since you clearly didn't want to see me. I took matters into my own hands. I miss you, Stefan and even if you don't believe it. I know that you and I belong together. And, that you've missed me too."

Her hand runs over my chest as I swallow the lump in my throat, her perfume that smells like apples swirls around my head and once again..I'm becoming that reckless love sick fool that I've been preventing myself from becoming when it comes to her. It's too late though when she steps back and I feel her hands take my own, placing them both on each side of her pale bare midriff, lifting up my hands and hers until her shirt slides off of her body and falls to the floor.

"You want me more than your willing to admit. I can see it in your eyes." She whispers against my ear when she leans into me. I inhale deeply, closing my eyes and trying to picture anyone else but her beside me. However, I fail at it as her lips touch my neck, licking and nipping against the soft skin as only Makayla knows how to do.

Dear god, I'm a idiot, a blindly love struck moron. I should break it off with her for good. I shouldn't want her as badly as I do now.

The feeling of her lips, of her mouth and hands roaming across my body drive me crazy. And, I give into her. One last time. I give into her and I know that I'll regret it..I'll regret everything that I'm about to do once the sun comes up in the morning.

* * *

**-Damon-**

"You've got to be fucking kidding me! What the hell were you thinking?" I shout at him, turning the car into the parking lot of the fire station as I shake my head. We have another daunting and exhausting next few days ahead of us and here my little brother is- probably still hungover, smelling like sex with that unmistaken look of pure guilt on his face from sleeping with his on and off girlfriend, AGAIN!

"She came over and you let her inside? Jesus, Stefan! That hook on the door that prevents people from coming into your apartment. You should have used that!" I mutter out, pulling the keys out of the ignition to my beat up old dark blue Ford F150 truck as I bite down on my lower lip, watching Stefan pull the dark blue New York Yankee's baseball cap he's got on over his face, the sunglasses he placed over his eyes to prevent the glaring sun from hitting him are falling off of his nose as he groans out in what sounds like sheer pain. "I wasn't thinking, Damon. I just couldn't turn her away, she just..She was so tempting."

"I'll get rid of her for you. And, one day when she's out of your life and you realize how much better off you are without her. You'll thank me." I tell him, watching his head snap up as he takes off the sunglasses, squinting at me.

"You wouldn't dare." Stefan says, this undertone of a panic is evident as I smirk at him, leaning forward and placing my hand firmly against his shoulder as I add. "If it's for your own benefit. I'd do anything for you. Stefan, Makayla is a distraction and she has turned you into someone that I know you're not! She has been for the last 3 years and it's time that you let her go. She's preventing you from being good at your job, she's blinding you with her constant need and it's sad to watch. Sad and pathetic that you keep taking her back, time and time again. Personally, I think she's just been using you since day one to prove something to her father. I just can't figure out what it could be." I try to convince him as he huffs out an annoyed breath. He hates when I talk about her like this. Although, I've never been a fan of Makayla and I'm about to out right let her know.

"Let's go. Tyler and Matt are already here and you know if we're late that Patrick will have both our asses." I command, opening the driver's side door as I jump out and grab my overnight bag, slinging the black duffle over my shoulder when I glance up at my brother. "I'll handle the Makayla situation, since you keep failing at it." I comment, feeling him grip my hand as he glares at me from across the back seat.

"Damon, don't. I didn't stand in your way when you were with Bonnie. Please, don't mess with the relationship I have with Makayla." He tells me sternly as I look over across from him, watching him grab his bag and lock his eyes onto mine, standing on the other side of the truck.

"Relationship? What relationship? I thought you said that you broke up with her, already. Listen, Stefan. You're my brother and I love you. But, I'll handle it. Since, you clearly can't." I advise him, watching his face fall when I shut the back door to my truck and begin walking towards the firehouse. It's going to be another few days, another 72 hour shift for me away from Bonnie and another 24 shift of trying to keep my younger brother from screwing up!

* * *

I wait in the locker rooms until Stefan's gone to get ready for the day and that's when I step out into the cafeteria area, hearing Tyler humming as Matt leans against the table, talking about some girl that he met the other night. "You should have seen her man, she was beautiful. Although, I can't remember her name." He tells him, hearing as Tyler laughs and shakes his head.

"You'll probably never see her again." Tyler jokes, throwing a towel in my direction. "Have you seen Makayla this morning?" I ask them, watching them both shake their heads. "Nope, sorry man. You should check in the offices. The princess always hangs around there, afraid to come and play with the big boys." Matt informs me with a wink as I wave them both off, reminding myself that I need to get to her before she gets to my brother.

The boots on my feet pick up as I feel myself running towards the offices. I'm nearly sprinting and just when I think that I've seen a flash of her hair in one of the rooms in front of me, I hear a booming and deep voice coming from behind me. "Salvatore! Where's the rookie? I need to speak with him."

I don't turn around right away, I wait a minute until I realize that it's Patrick who's asking about Stefan and all I can think about is that if Makayla's already squealed to her father about my brother. I can't wait to find her next!

"He's in the locker rooms, sir. He's probably heading to get his gear checked or something." I lie, pivoting on the soles of my heavy dark brown boots as Patrick nods, smiling. "Good. You know, if he continues to work with you like he has been. He's got a promising future at this station as part of the rescue company."

I nod at him, placing my hands into my pockets. "I'd like to think so too. Thanks, boss."

I walk away from him without another word, thinking about one thing. The only way my brother has a future as a firefighter and becoming a good one is if he lets Makayla go and the only way to get her off his back is to intervene. I know it's wrong of me to do so. Although, he's my brother and all I want is what's best for him. Like, I said to him earlier in the car...Getting rid of Makayla will be beneficial.

I exhale heavily when I overhear her obnoxious voice already gossiping about how her and my brother are already back together after his actions last night. My fingers curl into tight fists when I step into the office, thinking of a quick excuse to get the other girl out of the room so that Makayla and I can be alone together and I can tell her that she needs to get the hell out of my brother's life.

"Damon! Did you hear the great news?" She shrieks, grinning from ear to ear as I try to prevent myself from vomiting in my mouth when I make my presence known to them both. I smile instead, trying to keep up a cheerful appearance when all I really want to do is drag her into an empty room and tell her how toxic her 'relationship' with Stefan will become if she doesn't leave him alone for good.

"No, Makayla. And, what's the great news?" I ask, trying my best to sound intrigued.

"Stefan and I are back together last night!" She exclaims. I watch her face light up as her eyes widen and she twirls her finger around a strand of her hair, like a little school girl.

"Really?" I tilt my head, watching the redheaded petite girl behind her- whose name I can't remember- push herself up from her desk and walk out of the room and into another office, leaving Makayla and I all alone, except for the ringing sound of the phones in the background and the sound of dispatch going through two walkie talkie's on her desk, the sound of breathing is the only other thing that can be heard.

"He didn't tell you?" She asks me, confusion spills over in her eyes as I shake my head.

"No, actually. He hasn't mentioned you in weeks, to be honest. I thought that you two were over for good. Truthfully, I've always thought that he deserved way better than you. I mean, for god sakes, sweetheart. He's never even said that he loves you." My words cut her deep as her mouth hangs open and tears begin to well up in her eyes.

"That's where you're wrong!" She tries to point out, placing her hands on to her hips as I notice her bottom lip begin to quiver. "I love your brother. Even if he's never said that he loves me. I love him."

I shake my head, closing my eyes for a brief moment and trying to comprehend what she's just said to me. "Do you really want to be in a relationship with a man that will never love you? Come on, Makayla. Think about what you're saying…You want a one sided love. Because, that is all he can give you...That all he feels for you."

She runs her hand over the wood against the desk that she's standing beside, not looking at me when she adds in with a choking, sobbing tone. "He's my whole world."

I think that's the moment I begin to actually feel bad for the poor girl. But, the words I say next are out of pure truth and not hatred for her at all. I just want her to realize that Stefan doesn't really care about anyone else right now, except for his own interests and his own needs. "And, I don't think that you'll ever be his. Listen to me, I'm not saying this to be the evil older brother. I'm saying this because I know that somewhere down the line of being with him- years from now..If you two keep this up. You'll both regret it. Move on with your life and leave my brother alone. Please, do it for yourself and for him. He's never going to love you as much as you love him, Makayla. You'll never mean as much to him as he means to you. Instead, go out and find someone else who will love you for everything that you are. Because you are a sweet and nice girl. Although, you're just not right for him."

Silence falls upon the room as we stare at each other and I take a step towards her, gently reaching out to place my hand above hers. "Stefan only cares about two things right now, being the best he can be at this job and fooling around with whoever gives him the time of day. Let's face it, you are not his top priority and you haven't been that to him for the last two years. Honestly, my brother's top priority is preserving his ego. So, for your own sake, break it off with him for good this time."

She's sobbing when I turn my back away from her, hearing the redhead rush back into the room. "What did he say to you?" She asks her as I stop near the door frame, glancing over at them both when I admit. " I'm probably looked at as the bad guy, here. But, I told her the painful truth. I'm sorry, Makayla. I'm sorry that my brother couldn't say that to your face and that I had to do it. However, I promise that you'll be better off without him."

* * *

"What the hell did you do?" Stefan yells, pushing me against the locker room lockers, stepping over the bench as he tightens his fingers against my black t-shirt, twisting the fabric in between his fingers. "You broke up with her for me! I don't need you doing that Damon! I was going to take care of it!" He shouts, deadlocking his furious green eyes on to my blue gaze. He's pissed off and I honestly don't blame him. Although, we both know that his last statement was a lie. He wasn't going to break up with her..He was going to keep her around for no reason until he got sick of her, maybe break it off temporarily again just like this last time and then he'd go back to her once again just to use her like he has been- a vicious cycle of a person being in lust and not in love.

This way..My way- was a lot more effective and painless. Well, the painless part can be debated. But, you have to agree with me on the effective part..Right?

I laugh. I can't help it as he glares at me with this hatred in his eyes as if Makayla really meant something to him. "We both know that you were never going to do it. You would have been with her until you were old and gray, both of you hating each other and wishing that one of you dies first or that you had married other people. For crying out loud, Stefan. Let's just put this behind us and admit that I did you a favor by saying what I said to her a few hours ago. Because, YOU were NEVER going to say it to her!"

"You can go to hell! How dare you break it off with her when I told you that I had it handled. I didn't want her hating me, Damon. And, now she does!" Stefan yells, stepping away from me and running his hands over his face in frustration as he briefly looks back at me. "I hate you!"

"Oh please, hating me will be temporary." I tell him, sliding in the space beside him as I place my hand onto his knee, watching him flinch a bit.

"I was looking out for your best interests, Stefan. Deep down you know that this is what's best for you. This job is tough and dangerous and bringing anyone into our lives makes it even harder." I tell him, watching his head lift up as he clears his throat and then I hear him blurt out. "So, is that why you won't marry, Bonnie?"

My eyes widen at his question. Although, I know what he's getting at. Bonnie and I have been together for a few years now and I love her. I really do, however- I won't commit to her in the way she wants me to. And, that's been the biggest conflict in our relationship for the last two years.

"I…" My voice trails off as Stefan looks down at the ground again. "You know, she thinks that something's wrong with her because you haven't proposed to her yet. This job is dangerous and we put our lives on the line almost everyday. But, we need to have someone, Damon. I guess that's why I held on to Makayla for so long..I was hoping that I'd feel something more for her. That I'd love her as much as she loved me..."

I open my mouth, looking at him with apologetic eyes. I'm not a monster, I have a heart. But, I really was trying to make my brother open his eyes and not be in a relationship with a girl that he'd most likely never feel anything for except for lust. "I'm sorry, for doing what I did and wedging my way in between the two of you. It wasn't how it should have been done, Stefan. Regardless of however you might feel about me right now. Just know this little brother- I was looking out for you- I will always look out for you. Do you understand me?"

He nods as I place my hand on to his shoulder, pulling him into my embrace when I whisper against his ear. " I know that you hate me right now. But, you're all that I've got and you mean more to me than you will ever know." I tell him with my most honest tone, pulling away just as the sirens in the firehouse go off and we both jump to our feet. "Saved by the bell." I comment, getting a small smile out of him as he stops for a moment near the door, looking back at me when he adds in. "I do hate you right now. But, I want you to know that you're all I've got too, Damon."

I smile, watching him about to leave before he stops again and shouts over his shoulder. "Oh and, Damon. You're an idiot for not putting a ring on Bonnie's finger yet. If she were mine, I would have done it a long time ago."

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"I just don't get it. It's like we're living on two separate continents when it comes to this whole being married thing." I disclose, seeing Caroline's face scrunch up as she puffs out her chest and her lips form a straight line. "It's not that great, trust me. I mean, the sex is amazing because you do it all the time. Or, so I've heard...Tyler and I barely do it anymore and it's more than irritating!" She confides in me as I let out a laugh, getting up from the sofa in her house when I follow her into their kitchen, the aroma of lasagna cooking in the oven makes my stomach growl as she bends down to check on it.

"Seriously, Bon. Whoever said that you have more sex when you're married is a liar!" She exclaims, turning back to the sink and running her hands over the cold water that's falling from it as I shake my head. "It's not that we're not intimate with each other already, Care. It's just that I've been with him since high school and you know, I'd like it if he took what we have a little more seriously." I hear the honesty in my tone seep through and for a moment I want to slap myself for how pathetic I sound. I love him. I love Damon Salvatore with my whole heart and I always have it's just...I feel like I'm the only one in our relationship that would jump through hoops to keep him by my side.

"Bonnie, don't rush into things. You're his girlfriend and you might as well enjoy it. You're my best friend and honestly, I feel like you are the only one that I can tell this to." Caroline begins to say, leaning over the table in her kitchen where we've both now sitting down at as she admits. "Marriage isn't everything it's cracked up to be. You need to be on the same page as your partner. Because, if you're not. Then, you'll be doomed for failure."

"But, you and Tyler are almost always on the same page and you both look so happy all the time when you're together." I comment in an observant tone as she shakes her head and and laughs, tilting it back when she closes her eyes and exhales deeply.

"His parents hate me. And, Tyler hates that I'm stuck in the police station when he thinks that I could be doing a lot better with my life and my career. My father thinks that I shouldn't have married him at such a young age and that I only did it because I was secretly pregnant. He still won't speak to me and we rarely even see Tyler's family because they think I trapped their son into being with me. So, Tyler is all I have right now and my mom. She's the only one who supports us, who comes over and who cares about both of us." She reveals, watching me lean forward as I grab a hold of her hand and smile softly. "And, you have me and the rest of the group." I remind her, hearing Caroline softly reply with "I know."

"I'm here for you, Care. Whenever you need me." I tell her, feeling her arms pull me closer as she tightens them around me when she says. "And, I'm here for you too. You're like the sister I never got to have, Bonnie. I want you to know that, whatever happens in our lives that I never want to lose you as my best friend."

I smile at her words, burying my face into her hair as I whisper. "I know. I love you too."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

I hate getting called into work late at night. But, I guess that's what I get for being on call and for having so much free time. I also hate the fact that I got the call in the middle of my dinner with my best friend, leaving Bonnie with a bunch of leftover Lasagna and an unopened bottle of wine. I told her that it would be better if we just enjoyed ourselves another time and for her to save the wine for her and Damon- Maybe getting him drunk will cause him to open up his eyes and realize how amazing my best friend is and how he really needs to marry her already!

I smile at the thought. However, it quickly fades when I reach the office and hear my name being called from behind me. Her voice causing me to cringe.

"Lockwood, glad you could come in tonight." She tells me in a sharp tone, placing her hand flatly against the table that she's standing behind as I look up at her. "My name's Caroline." I correct her, seeing her brown eyes soften a little when she hands me a stack of file folders, each filled with a new case. She smirks, adding. "Right. Caroline. Got it."

"Listen, Lexi..I.." Words fail me when she turns around and I see her arched brow as she looks me over, waiting for me to say what was on my mind. "You know what, never mind." I quickly tell her, seeing her back turn towards me and thinking that she's about to leave. Although, when she doesn't go. I'm a bit surprised.

"I know that you don't like me, Caroline. You don't need to tell it to my face since I can see it in your eyes. You can't stand me. Trust me, I get that a lot. But, I won't be here for much longer..I'm trying to transfer over to another division. I'm not very good at making friends or keeping relationships and being here is making it very hard." She swallows down her words and for a moment, it's like I can see the pain in her eyes.

I feel sorry for her, I feel bad that I've been so rude. But, when she opens her mouth up again. I quickly dismiss my sorrow for her and remember that she's my training officer, my boss. And, as much as I want to attempt to befriend her, I can't.

" You and I have had our ups and downs and we're not friends. However, you'll get to be in the field soon, you know. Thanks to my recommendation about you. My bosses have been talking and they say that if you play your cards right that you won't be stuck behind a desk forever." She says, giving me a small smile as I feel my eyes grow wide.

"What?" I ask her, watching as she places another folder on top of my already pretty large stack and adds with a wink. "I'd read that one first. It's my reference letter to my superiors about you. I hope it helps get you to where you want to be one day, Caroline. You don't deserve to be put behind a desk. Because, you've got a lot of potential and how I see it. You really could be an amazing officer one day, if only they'd give you the chance. Follow your dreams and go into the academy. Because, we both know that, that's where you should really be."

I watch as Lexi turns around, not looking back at me and leaving me in the middle of the room with my stack of papers. I never wanted to be thrown behind a desk, my dream was to go into the police academy and finish it, becoming a police officer just like my mother. However, my circumstances prevented that and well, the only job that I had been able to get was this one- being a clerk for a training officer at the local police department. I think about her words and what Tyler would think of me when I tell him about my sudden career change. I can hear it now. I can subconsciously hear his voice echoing through my head. "Are you insane? You want to be a real cop?" He'd shout at me as I smiled and nodded, making some stupid joke about how sexy I'd look in a uniform and how fun it would be to watch him take it off of me.

My mind fades away from the silly scenario in my head as I exhale deeply. As much as I don't like her, she's right you know. All I ever wanted was to be a police officer just like my mother and as much as Tyler won't like hearing about my new career path, all I can think about is how happy I'll be if I just take the leap.

* * *

**-Elena-**

It's been a few weeks since I've seen my brother and the moment I open the door and realize that he's come to visit tonight, I'm ecstatic! I don't get a lot of visitors mostly because I'm working all the time and even when I do get someone..It's almost always our mother, Miranda begging me to come back home or for money that neither her or I have.

"You're here!" I exclaim, feeling his arms wrap around me as he hugs me tightly and shuts the door behind him.

"I was finally able to sneak away." He jokes, hearing me tell him to sit down as I step into the little kitchen in my apartment, grabbing two drinks from the fridge, my hands nearly drop them when I hear Jeremy ask. "So, have you heard from mom lately?"

I'm halfway to the couch as I place the two sodas on the coffee table, shaking my head. "No, I haven't. But, something tells me that you have."

He watches me sit down, turning his body towards me when he inhales through gritted teeth. "Elena, she wants you to come back home and live with her. I told her that you were struggling here."

"You did what?" I ask him with a bit of an angered tone in my voice, hearing my brother exhale deeply, turning back towards the door when I hear another knock and glance over at my brother.

"I asked her to come, Elena. Listen, I know that you act like you don't need her help. But, we both know that you do." Jeremy tells me, his eyes narrowing at me.

"I don't need her help, Jer and I didn't need you meddling in this. Whatever happened between mom and I, was between us. Stop trying to reconnect our family when we're already a broken up mess. I don't want to see her again. You don't know the half of it." I hiss out, licking my bottom lip as I think about what happened to both of us in that house, after our dad died.

"You don't think that I don't know? Elena, I might have blocked some of it out. But, I remember what he did to us, our 'step dad.' Now, I'm trying to move past it though and I think that you should do the same. Give her a chance, Elena. She's changed. I can tell that she has."

"Ha, she's changed? So, you're trying to tell me that she won't allow him back in the house to hit her again. Like he used to hit us? But, she was too drunk to notice. I'd love to see her try and keep him away. She'll fail at it." My body goes numb when I hear her soft voice flow into the room and the unlocked door to my apartment pushes open.

"Your brother is right, sweetie. I have changed. I've stopped drinking, I'm trying to make things right. Please, honey. Come home with me.. I need you with me...I hate being in that big house all alone." The way she begs for me, without saying that she's sorry makes me sick. And, my heart feels hardened and dark when I look at her. My mother, the one who was supposed to protect me, the one who was supposed be more for her children than she is for the men in her life.

"This apartment is nearly empty and you still have a lot of things at the house. Look, just come by and see it for yourself. Elena, he's gone and he isn't coming back. I promise, just stay a few days and we'll figure it out." The pleading in her voice makes me sad all of a sudden for the person that she was, the person that I loved once upon time. I miss her, my mother. It's crazy to miss someone that has caused you so much pain and heartache though- I know that. However, I still wish and dream of having the family that I never had. Even if it is for a moment with her and I think that's what clouds my judgement.

I close my eyes as Jeremy stays silent and so does my mom, Miranda. "I can't afford this place. You're both right. So, I'll come stay with you. But, if your husband comes back into that house and pulls you back into the dark hole that you're struggling to get out of. I'm gone and I will never come back. Do you understand me?"

She nods. "I understand and I promise that he won't. I swear that he won't, Elena. Please, just..Come home." I want to believe her. I want to tell myself that she isn't lying to my face about him not being around anymore. But, I can feel it in my body- in every bone. I can hear it in her words and the way she tells me that he won't be a problem. I can tell that she's just as desperate as I am. Although, she's lying to my face and if it wasn't for the longing I have in thinking about maybe rebuilding our relationship and possibly having the family that I always wanted, I would have said no. I'm desperate and as much as I want to deny that I can afford this place on my own and that I have friends I could move in with. I know that I can't ask Luke, since he's already living with a group of people on the east side of town. I don't want to be a burden to him. So, as my mom hugs me tightly and whispers into my ear how much she's changed and how great this will be. I'm replaying the last disaster in my head and hoping that this won't be a repeat. Hoping and praying that this choice won't be the worst one that I've ever made.

* * *

The next morning at work I feel like everything around me is all a blur as Luke taps his hands against the counter, catching my attention just barely when I stare off into nothing in particular. I just told my landlord that I'm leaving at the end of the month and I'm terrified of the unknown that's to come, I'm scared of living with my mother again and stupidly agreeing to it.

"Anyone home?" He asks with a laugh, waving his hand in front of my face as it snaps me out of my trance and we both hear Rosie come up behind us. "I love you both. But, you two really need to get back to work. Elena, table seven needs a cup of coffee and a slice of our famous cherry pie." She orders, stepping in between Luke and I as she watches me point to him. "Can't he take that table? It's in the corner, near the window and the bathrooms. I hate squeezing all the way back there." I complain, hearing her sigh when she adds. "The customer specifically asked for you."

Luke grins, waving me off as I go into the kitchen, grabbing a coffee mug and the stainless steel thermal craft from one of our coffee machines, telling the cook that I need a slice of pie as well. I walk quickly, my curiosity peaking just a bit as I get closer to the end of the tables and towards that one particular booth that I hate so much.

"You've got to be kidding me." I hiss out as I watch him having intertwined his fingers, placing them under his chin and resting his elbows on the table, narrowing his green eyes at me. "Well, a hey, Stefan. It's nice to see you would have been equally as nice." He teases, seeing me forcefully place the mug on to the table along with the cheery pie. His head moves back when I begin pouring the hot and steamy coffee into his cup with a glare in his direction.

"What are you doing here?" I ask him. As happy as I secretly am to see him. I just can't deal with his antics this morning. My head is too full with my own problems and I really can't listen to his.

"I'm not in the mood for you. And, where's the rest of your posse? Shouldn't you be out..I don't know, fighting fires, saving people. Trying to flirt with anyone else. But, me!" I comment with a bit of hostility, watching him lean back into his seat as he gives me his best saddened and hurt look, palcing his hand over his heart.

" Ouch, you really know how to hurt people. Don't you?" He swallows deeply as he exhales and then continues to explain. "Actually, I just now got away from the firehouse, 24 hours of hell. I'm pissed off at my brother and I can't stand to be there any longer than I should be. And, since I'm technically off the clock anyways. I thought that I'd swing by." He tells me with a wink, smiling widely.

"So, you came here, out of all the places to be this morning. You came to see me. Why?" I hear myself asking him as he tilts his head to the side, catching my hand and stroking it with his thumb as his smile widens and he reminds me. "You are my person and I need advice."

"I'm your person? And you need advice? Listen, buddy. I thought you were kidding or just being nice. I didn't think you that you meant it seriously." I quickly tell him, moving my hand away from his grasp.

"I mean what I say, every time." He pauses, looking at my name badge. "Elena." He finishes, pointing to the empty seat across from him. "Come on, sit down and talk to me."

"I'm on the clock and I have work to do." I tell him as he shakes his head, looking around the nearly dead diner. "Honestly, if this place doesn't pick up...You'll need a new job. I could recommend you to a friend of mine. The one that you know too, Caroline Lockwood. Her husband and I are best friends.. Maybe you and Caroline could work together, become friends. You look like you could use a friend. Caroline works at a police station now by the way and she makes a better salary than this." He tells me as I roll my eyes at his words.

"That's nice, really. But, I don't need your help. I'm perfectly happy where I'm at." I hastily tell him as he sighs and rubs his face with his hands before speaking. "You may not need my help. But, I need yours and that's why I'm here."

"I'm not a counselor and I don't give good advice, I'm sorry Mr. Salvatore. Don't you have like a lot of work friends that you could talk to about your problems?" He laughs when I ask the question, biting down on his lower lip. "Contrary to popular belief. I only have a few friends. Just, not very many 'girl friends.' I mean, I consider Caroline and my brother's girlfriend, Bonnie. My friends. However, I need an outsider from my group. And, you'd be perfect for that."

"Me? Why me?" I ask him. His smile just grows bigger the more questions I seem to ask and he looks a little annoyed by it.

"Because, Elena. I actually find you interesting and a challenge to be around. I like that you're feisty and that you clearly seem like the type of person that wouldn't put up with my shit, like everyone else does. You're new and I like new people. Now, take a seat, kick up those tired legs and let's chat. Also, didn't you say that you owed me one when I saved you from getting nearly crushed by that speeding car awhile ago?"

I huff out at a breath. He's right, I did say that and as I look around and see that neither Luke or Rosie are around for now, I consider his offer. "You're thinking about it, aren't you? You want to become my friend as much as I want to become yours." He smiles, wiggling his eyebrows at me as I sink my body into the seat and exhale once my back hits against the cushions. Ugh, it feels so nice to sit down and relax for a moment, even if my company is a slightly obnoxious firefighter that clearly won't leave me alone.

"I never said that we're going to be friends." I retort back at him, watching him frown as he reaches across the table and extends out his hand. "You owe me one, remember? So, let's shake on it. Whenever you're working and I'm here. We talk about whatever you want. But, right now I pick the topic." I stare down at his calloused and rough looking hands as I grind my teeth back and extend out my own hand to him. "I better not regret this." I hear myself reply out loud when the feeling of his hand brushes against mine and he grasps it tightly, his piercing green eyes intensely stare at me with pure amusement.

"Oh, you won't. Trust me, Elena. You're agreeing to a very important civic duty right now." He replies. "Without even knowing it." He's grinning as I shake my head, muttering under my breath about how much I hope that this won't be my second mistake for the week. The first being that I agreed to move in with my mother again after being naively coerced to do it.

"Civic duty? And, what would this duty be?" I ask him once more as he laughs, a lingering smile still apparent on his face when he states. "God, you really aren't like the others. Has anyone ever told you that you ask a lot of questions."

I shrug my shoulders back, staring directly at him when I hear him sigh out a breath as he finally says with a sweet and sincere smile. " Relax, lady. Your duty will be helping a lonesome firefighter out and talking to him when he needs a friend, it's not like I'm asking you for one of your kidneys or your first born child."

He laughs when I do as we sit there in silence for a minute before I finally agree. "Fine, I'll be your friend, Stefan. But, that is all I will be to you. Nothing more." Even though my voice is firm and unargumentative. The beaming smile that spreads across his face makes me smile a little too when he leans back against the red cushions and concludes. "Great. Because, that's all I need right now and I'm sure you do too."

* * *

**A/N: Follow me on twitter for commentary and to find out when I'll be updating next! ;)**

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	7. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Before all the events that took place in "One and Only." Stefan Salvatore was a reckless New York City firefighter that only cared about his job. That's until he saves the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**Follow me on twitter for updates at BePassionate_24**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Six**

**-Elena-**

"You should be working, young lady. You're on my dime, Gilbert." Rosie scolds me as I brush past her, getting an amused look from Luke who's staring at us as he hands a customer her receipt and thanks her for coming in. I can tell that he's wanting to say something- biting his tongue hard and staying silent as she continues on. "I know that he's a fairly good looking young man. But, if you want to continue to work here. You should actually be doing something more than flirting with him." Rosie says to me in a motherly tone, giving me that slight hint of irritation.

"Ah, leave her alone, Rosie. You were young once too. Don't you remember what it was like being young and in your 20's? Crazy times." Luke butts in. Giving Rosie a smile in a teasing tone as I shake my head.

"I wasn't flirting with him. Actually, he will probably be leaving in a little while. The poor guy looks exhausted. He's a firefighter you know. I've heard that they work constantly. Grueling hours that keep them always on the go." I comment, hearing them both sigh out a breath.

"Honey, the way he's been looking at you for the past 15 minutes. I highly doubt that he'll be going anywhere any time soon. Rosie, wanna place a bet on it?" Luke asks her as she shakes her head, mumbling something about how she should have hired a better group of employees instead of the two of us to be there full time.

"You know you love us." I tell her, turning my back away and grabbing another piece of cherry pie from the kitchen area. I'm smiling when I turn away and walk back to the table, noticing that Stefan suddenly has a frown on his face while he reads his text messages on his cell phone.

"Thanks." He states simply, digging into the slice of pie as he smiles when I sit down again, right across from him.

"Didn't you say that you were on the clock?" He asks me, watching me point back to Rosie and Luke who are now standing by the cashier register, discreetly looking our way.

"My boss and my coworker Luke think that we're sitting here and flirting with each other. They've bet that you wouldn't be leaving anywhere because of me. Although, I've already told them both that we're just talking and that you've probably got more important things to do." I comment. Stefan looks up from his cherry pie, waving Luke over to our table with a grin on his face.

"What are you doing?" I nearly shout out at him as he smirks, wiping his mouth with the white cloth napkin on his right side before he speaks to Luke who's excitedly looking at the two of us as he walks up to the table.

"I'm meeting your co worker." He says, leaning back into his chair and wiping his hands before he extends his right hand out to Luke.

"Luke Slater. Elena's co worker and best friend. I am very happy to meet you." He says with a wide eyed smile, shaking Stefan's hand firmly, looking at me all the while when he adds in. "Elena has told me a lot about you. I mean, you are the guy who saved her life. Right?"

Stefan nods. " Stefan Salvatore and yeah, I'm happy to have done it too. Your best friend here, is a very sweet girl." He says. His green eyes soft and staring directly at me, making me a little bit uncomfortable at the way he's making me feel. Making my heart race.

"Well, Stefan. I will leave the two of you alone. But, um..Enjoy your pie and your company. Elena really is a good person, you just have to get to know her first." Luke tells him, pivoting on the soles of his running shoes before he winks at me and walks away. Leaving Stefan and I sitting in the booth that's all the way in the back, continuing our conversation.

" I'm planning on it." Stefan replies back with a grin. Turning his attention back to me. "So, do you have any brothers or sisters at all?" He blurts out, placing his hands on to the table as I tilt my head to the side.

"This isn't a date you know. To be honest, it takes a lot to win me over. And, if that's your angle. You're horrible at it." I tell him, hearing him laugh as he locks his eyes on to mine once more, the fun side of him quickly fades when he becomes serious and says. "Well, I have my work cut out for me then."

"However, to answer your question I do have a brother. He's a little younger than I am just by a little bit. And, he just got accepted into the police academy. He's training at another division though- in the Bronx." I confide in him, hearing Stefan shift in his seat.

"Ah, a police officer. Nice. Did your brother always want to be a cop or was it just a spur of the moment choice?" I hear him ask as I suddenly become nervous. Jeremy didn't always want to be a police officer. Truth be told, my brother had wanted to be a doctor and when that fell through. He decided to become a police officer instead, because he wanted to protect innocent people and children from the things we went through in our youth.

"We had a very rough childhood. One that haunts us both. My brother and I were close when we were kids. But, lately we've been drifting apart. Part of me thinks that it's because of my mother. My mom has been an on and off recovering alcoholic. My real dad died of cancer and then, my mom remarried a man that dragged her and us, into a world of hell." I swallow the lump in my throat. I don't want to go any further, I don't want to tell him about the child abuse that we suffered at the hands of my mother and my stepdad. I don't want to tell him any of that- he doesn't need to know- I quickly remind myself that he's still a stranger to me before I go any further and that he doesn't need to know my past, he doesn't need to know about my personal hell.

"So, what about you?" I ask him, trying my best to change the subject as I feel him place his hand on top of mine, gliding his thumb across my skin like he's done already twice before. "You can't do that.." He clears his throat, giving me a confused look. "Do what? Elena.." His voice trails off as his green eyes look saddened and pained at my story.

"You can't do that. The hand thing. The comforting hand thing.. I-." I begin to say as he takes his hand away, a little embarrassed at his attempt to comfort me.

"It's fine, believe me. My stepdad is long gone for now and my mom's better. I'm trying to rebuild my relationship with her, actually. I'm sorry about talking your ear off and telling you so much." I tell him, seeing him nod at me in understanding.

My smile fades as he shakes his head, placing hands around the coffee mug in front of him as he gives me a small smile. "It's fine. I haven't had it the easiest , I get it. There are a lot of things that you keep buried, hidden from the world. My parents died a long time ago and my uncle, Zach. Raised my brother and I until we were old enough to look after ourselves. My brother can be a pain in my ass sometimes. But, he's all I've got. He's my best friend And, that's something that not even he really knows. I mean, he knows I love him. But, he doesn't really realize what my life would be like without him in it." Stefan says, watching my face fall at the mention of his parent's deaths.

"It happened a long time ago. You know, that's why I wanted to do the job I do. Because of my parents deaths.. I want to save people, I want to protect them. And, I wanted to honor them. They were amazing people." He admits, placing his finger around the edge of the coffee cup as he circles around the rim with his finger before he adds. "You're the first person I've ever told that to. The reason, I wanted to do this job."

Stefan clears his throat suddenly as he laughs a little and shakes his head. "Listen to us, I haven't gotten out of the friend zone yet and here I am spilling my heart out to you. I'm sorry. To be honest, I should probably get going. I get really mushy when I'm sleep deprived and I haven't been sleeping well lately."

I smile at him, feeling sorry for him as well. It's sudden, the moment he extends out his hand to me and gives me a $50 dollar bill as a tip. "Here, it's not much. But, maybe it'll help you a little." He smiles, getting up from the booth, fixing his pants as he looks me over sweetly. "Thank you, Elena. For spending some time with me. It means a lot."

"I can't take the money, Stefan. It's too much." I blurt out, watching him take it off the table as he takes my hand off the table too and he smiles as my eyes widen when my fingers slowly begin to uncurl.

"Yes, you can. You earned it." He states as he moves his fingers against my own, curling them around the tip that he had placed in my hand. "Call me sometime, since you have my number and I still don't have yours. I'd love to do this again." He says, brushing his thumb over my knuckles before he moves his hand away and concludes. "Have a good rest of your day." He tells me, pivoting on the soles of his boots, just staring at me before I watch him walk towards the entrance to the diner.

It's nearly empty, the afternoon rush hasn't even started yet and maybe that's what prompts me to say it. But when he turns around to look at me once more his name spills out of my mouth without even thinking. He turns around again, hand firmly holding the door propped open, a lingering smile spreading across his lips. "Yeah?" He questions, leaning his back against the door as he looks up at me when I utter out. "Be safe out there."

Stefan licks his bottom lip when he nods, seeing me place my hands into my apron as he finally says. "I always am. See you around, Elena."

* * *

**-Tyler-**

The last few days have been hell for us. We're overworked and tired, needing a break. But, Patrick is on our asses. He has been for the last week- on and off.

"Do any of you understand the meaning of safety regulations and what it even means to do this job! You all go out there prancing around in your little uniforms, thinking that all you're there for is to show off! Well, newsflash boys and girls. This job is way more than that!" Patrick shouts at us all as I look around the conference room, hearing the back door creak up and the pit in my stomach grows when Patrick yells out with an agitated tone. "Ah, Stefan Salvatore, you're late! Take a seat. The group and I were just discussing safety precautions out on the field and how I can't have my men and women of this department prancing around like little tooth fairy's! We go out there, we serve, we protect and we make sure that each of us goes home safely each day and each night. We don't leave each other behind. First one into the burning building, last one out." He takes a deep breath, curling his fingers around the podium that he's standing behind as I look around the room again.

Damon, Matt, Stefan and I look terrified and then there's Daniel Johnson who's just sitting in the back row, as cool as a cucumber. Right along with a few of the other seasoned vets and firemen who have been doing this job for way more years ,than any of us combined.

"We serve with courage, integrity and pride. Do we have an understanding? Now, be safe and get out there. And for god sakes, do your jobs correctly!" Patrick tells us all, getting a loud and rowdy "Yes sir" when we all speak in unison as he dismisses us with a wave of his hand.

* * *

The blaring sirens in the firehouse go off not too shortly after Patrick's speech. I watch Damon and Matt sprint by me. "We need to go, get to the apparatus bay, now. Dispatch says it's a house fire, possible loss of lives!" He exclaims, looking down at the phone in my hand and my pager that's hooked to my pants, it's noisy with the information regarding the situation that we're about to walk into. I was about to call Caroline and tell her that I'd be home earlier tonight since it seemed like a slow night for our fairly small firehouse. However, my plans changed within the blink of an eye. Like they always do.

"Okay." I hear myself reply back, speed walking towards the bay where we house the fire trucks and almost all of our equipment. I turn to see Stefan and Damon already changing into their uniforms, placing on their turnout gear. A fire resistant suit with an overall strap, a jacket and their heavy boots. "This shit is heavy and I'm already sweating." Stefan grumbles under his breath, getting a pat on the back from his brother as he slips his jacket and looks him over. "You're not done yet, buddy. You can't forget the helmet this time or your oxygen tank! " He laughs, shaking his head as he turns away from him and softly adds in "Rookies."

Stefan grabs his black helmet, his last name with the company's engine number, lettering that indicates our rank and a black strap across the middle of it are all seen as I take a moment to look him in the eyes. He looks good, he finally looks like he's part of the team. He finally looks like a firefighter. "This isn't the academy anymore, Stefan. You finally look the part." I tell him, hearing him laugh as he plays dumb.

"Look the part of what exactly? A 21 year old guy that feels like he's roasting in a 15 pound suit, my boots and jacket that weigh like 30 pounds? Not to mention the damn oxygen tank that weighs like 30 pounds all by itself!" He complains, running his hand over his face as I lean back against the bench that I'm sitting on, tears in my eyes because of laughing so hard. "A firefighter you, idiot. You finally look like a real firefighter opposed to walking around the firehouse in sweats for the past three weeks, barely going on any calls because of your probation. You know, I like this new look on you, Stefan. It's very sexy!"

"Isn't now..You want me to show you some leg, Ty?." He says in a teasing tone, exposing out his foot a little and wiggling it around. "Sexy my ass." He mutters, opening the door to the truck as he whispers something over to Damon.

"You think we should leave him here, you know. Since, he's slowing us down. Response time is 7 minutes, remember that Lockwood." I overhear Stefan tease as I lace up my boots, glaring up at him, Matt and Damon are in the back and I can see Daniel shaking his head and rolling his eyes. "We either leave him or we don't. I'm sure you could get a ride with another rescue company. Maybe the hook and ladder company would take you. But, oh yeah..You're afraid of heights!." Daniel chimes, making everyone else around him bust up laughing in the rig.

"You wouldn't dare!" I exclaim.

Stefan leans his head back, laughing and closing his eyes as he extends out his hand to me when I look up to see that the truck is already on, red and white lights flashing overhead. "If I was the one driving, I totally would have left you. But, you know...Our whole motto...Leave no one behind." He winks, pushing the heavy truck door open when he points to the back. "Get your ass in here Tyler and let's go."

"1420 hours. Ladder 17. EMS and Fire Response. On Channel 3.18th street and Redmond." We all hear dispatch repeat the call out as I watch Stefan lean over and take the radio into his hands, responding quickly, changing the channel to get the rest of the call details as he replies back with. "Ladder 17. Engine 7 responding. EMS and Fire are on en route to location." The loud sounds of the sirens start up again as we make our way to the call, hoping that it won't be as bad as it sounds when we hear dispatch repeat once more. "Ladder 17. EMS and Fire Response. 18th street and Redmond, 45 year old woman trapped in engulfed home."

* * *

**-Damon-**

I can smell the smoke in the air, see the flames as we approach, lifting up the radio in my hand to tell dispatch that we've made it to the scene and that it's bad, really bad.

The begging and pleading of her neighbors are drowned out by the sirens and the other fire department that's on the scene, including the police department. A young man in his early 20's walks up to us when we get out of the rig. I can tell by looking at him that he's just a rookie cop. I'm assuming because when I look closer, I can see a blonde standing behind him, her arms crossed over one another as she leans against the squad car. The serious look on her face, tells me that she's been doing this job for way longer than he has.

"Is she still in the house...And, what's her name.." I pause, looking down at his name across his vest. "Officer Gilbert. What is the victim's name?" I ask the young cop who nods at me. "Yes. Her name is Abby Ross." He informs me as I give him a firm handshake and look up at the house, the flames and heat of the fire, causing the windows to shatter just when I hear Patrick scream at Tyler, Stefan and I to run into the house and try to get her out.

"God, I hope she's still alive." I mutter out, readjusting my gear, placing my helmet and face shield on as I wave over to Stefan and Tyler, yelling over the sirens and loud noises of the water hoses bursting water on the house, trying to save as much of it as we can. "Let's get in there and keep your radios on!"

Stefan looks scared shitless. "We don't have time for you to panic now." I shout at him, watching him nod as I see him exhale heavily. "I'm not. I'm fine." He reassures me. Placing his helmet on and, following Tyler into the house that's glowing with orange, bright red flames as the black smoke continues to fill the air.

It takes a few minutes to find a secured entry and when we do. We search the house for her, every inch. "Bedroom's clear." I can hear Stefan report over the radio as I shout out her name, breathing in through my oxygen tank when I look around the smoke filled and dark room.

"Dining room's clear." I reply back, taking quick and rapid steps to where I can tell is the kitchen and that's where I see her, laying face down on floor, her face is covered in burns and when I bend down to check for a pulse, it's weak.

" I got her. I found her." I report over the radio on my shoulder, telling them that I need medical assistance as soon as I'm outside because she's barely breathing, barely alive.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

We saved her today, the woman in the house. We were unable to save her house. She suffered minor burns, scrapes and smoke inhalation. But, she's alive. And the victory of saving her life with my team is something that makes me feel accomplished, that makes me feel like I never want to stop doing this job for anything in the world. I love it, I love the rush, the danger, the hope that we're able to give the victims after they've suffered so much heartbreak. That small glimmer of hope makes a world of difference, it can change the bleakest of moments into the brightest of moments with just the right action of human kindness, with just the right words of "Everything is going to be okay. You're alive and safe. And, right now- that is all that matters."

Those words, those actions we take in saving someones life and hoping for the best, hoping for them to live. That is what makes me proud to be a firefighter. That is what makes me proud to serve.

"Good job today." Tyler tells me, patting me on the shoulder as I smile at him, throwing a towel over my shoulder and going towards the lockers. "Patrick says he's really proud too." He explains, pursing his lips together when he shrugs his shoulders back. "And, I'm proud of you too." He adds with a smile. Tyler walks away from me, slinging his overnight bag over his left shoulder for a moment, looking back at me briefly. "I'm going home for the night. I'm pretty sure I'll be back here tomorrow night or something. But, right now I just need to go home to my wife."

I smile back at him, nodding. "Man, if I had a wife. I'd go home to her too. Instead, I get to go home to an empty apartment. Makayla moved her stuff out last night. Her and I are officially over.." My voice trails off as Tyler takes a step towards me. "Maybe it's for the better, this way. You know, being single for a while." He pats me gently on the shoulder, telling me to have a good night as I watch him turn to leave. But, my voice stops him once more.

"What's that like, Tyler? Knowing that you have someone at home, waiting for you to come back to them safely..What does it feel like?" I question him as he laughs, turning his head when he looks at me as he replies. "When you find that one person, you'll know what it feels like. But, for Caroline and I. It's an amazing feeling, knowing that she's there. She's my best friend and the love of my life. I wouldn't want it any other way. I'm sure one day, you'll have that too. We all deserve a little happiness, Stefan." He says, telling me to have a good night as he watches me sit down on the bench in the locker rooms, huffing out a breath, closing my eyes for a minute.

"What's wrong with you?" Damon asks me as he walks into the locker room, a white towel over his shoulder as I rub my eyes. "I'm just tired, exhausted really."

Damon laughs, telling me to go home since my shift is over, that Patrick is giving the orders.

"Does he still hate me for breaking up with his daughter?" I ask my brother, watching Damon turn around, taking his shirt off as he nods. "Yeah, man. He's proud of what you did today, helping perform CPR on the woman before EMS came. But, he still hates you. However, I think it's his way of caring because if he hated you so much, he would have assigned you a 72 hour shift. So, he must not hate you that much since he's telling you to go home instead." He tells me, waving me off and telling me to go home, to get some sleep.

"If I go home, I'm going to be going back to an empty apartment, all alone." I point out, watching Damon give me a saddened look. "I would say come over to our place. But, Bonnie's making a surprise dinner for me and I think she wants it to just be us. Hopefully, I'll get out of here on time and instead of having my girlfriend eat dinner alone and go to bed before I even walk through the door."

I smile at him, a look of understanding in my eyes. "Maybe I'll ask Matt to go out with me, we can try his technique of picking up girls at a few of the local bars." I comment, getting a sigh out of Damon when he suggests. "What about that brunette waitress at that diner that we go to? Why don't you go there...Get her number." He says in a hopeful and encouraging tone, sitting down on the wooden bench across from me as I shake my head.

"I was there a few days ago. She's going to think I have no life." I reply to him in an honest tone, laughing just a little at how pathetic I sound.

"Let's be honest here for a minute, brother. You don't have a life, Stefan. All you've done since you and Makayla broke up has been mope around here and throw yourself into your work. Look, it's good to work a lot. But, like you said. We all need someone to have in our lives, little brother. And, I know that you just got out of your relationship with Makayla. But, it doesn't mean you can't have a friend. So, get cleaned up, go see if she's working and maybe even get her number." Damon smiles, getting up from the bench and walking out of the changing area before I can say anything more.

* * *

Walking the streets aimlessly at 10:30 pm is somewhat tranquil and it gives me time to gather my thoughts before I cross the street and make my way into the diner. I'm not even really sure why I decided to take Damon's advice. But, the moment my hand touches the door and I look up through the glass, seeing that she's busy cleaning a table. I'm happy that I listened to him and I'm happy that she's there.

Elena's head snaps up when the bell above the entrance door rings overhead and she smiles widely, placing her hands onto her hips. I watch her untie her apron, placing it down on the clean table. "I'm closing up…No one's here except for me and I don't think that you should be here either. I'm off the clock. But, I decided to stay a little longer to finish cleaning the place up since everyone else just left." She explains further, looking up at me as I shrug my shoulders back.

I smile, taking a seat at the table that she was just finished cleaning, smiling at her. "We never finished our conversation." I point out, hearing her laugh a little. Licking her lips with a nervous smile on her lips and to her brown eyes. "We're closed, Stefan. And I was just going to turn off the coffee machines."

"Well, I came just in time then. I'm exhausted and could use some of that good cup of coffee." I smile at her, watching as her hand mindlessly runs over her apron. "You shouldn't be here." She tells me again as I lean over, placing my hand on top of hers, stopping her movements. Elena gives me a confused look when in return, I give her a slight saddened glance.

"I just broke up with my girlfriend a few weeks ago and I don't want to go home to my empty apartment tonight. So, I know that you're closing. But, I didn't' really come here to eat. I came here to sit down, to see you and to talk." I tell her in an honest tone. Elena looks me over for a moment, looking outside through the lowered blinds.

"I have an hour before I need to catch the bus back to my mom's house. Despite everything, I moved in with her. I'm scared that she's going to become a drunk again or that her husband's going to come back. Part me doesn't want to be there. But, the other part knows that she needs me..So.." Her voice trails off as she sits down across from me.

"I can drive you home." I quickly offer as she shakes her head. "That's very sweet of you. Although, it's probably out of your way and-." My voice cuts her off as I exhale. "We've already established that we're friends, Elena. So, let me drive you home. My truck's back at the station. But, the walk isn't far."

She stops, yawning when she smiles at me through heavy eyelids. "Come on, I'll wait until you shut the lights off and lock up." I tell her.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" She asks, giving me a perplexed look as I smile at her. "Because, you seem like a nice person who just needs a good guy in your life and I'm a good guy, a good friend. Once you get to know me."

She nods when she adds. "Fair enough. Okay. So just, sit here and I'll lock up." She commands, walking back towards the coffee machines as she shuts them off and I start talking to her again.

"So, Luke's your best friend?" I ask, watching as she moves her head up and down with a "yes" motion. Elena turns around just a little when she says. "Yeah, to be honest. He's one of the best friends I have ever had."

"So, he knows a lot about you?" I question, watching her stop what she's doing as she huffs out a breath. "If you think that he's going to tell you all the things about me that you don't know yet. It's not going to happen. You'll have to learn things about me on your own." She states, grinning when I get up from my seat. I can see the tension in her back as I walk behind the counter and step behind her, unintentionally grazing her hand against her back and feeling her body flinch at my touch.

I move my hand back to my side quickly, telling her that I'm sorry as she shakes her head. I can see it in her brown eyes, she's nervous and for some reason..I think it's because of me.

"What are you really doing here, Stefan?" She questions again. We're just inches apart, I can see the way her nostrils flare as she inhales the scent of mint on my breath as I speak.

"I told you already." I reply back, noticing that she's taken a step back and is leaning her side into the counter beside us near the kitchen area.

"So, you really just came here to talk. Nothing more?" She asks as I exhale, grinding my back teeth together, nodding my head. "Yes. Nothing more." My green eyes are glistening as I lean towards her, staring into her eyes.

She's beautiful, way prettier than Makayla ever was and I can feel my heart race like never before as I stand this close to her. "I should finish closing up and we should go. It's getting late." She tells me as I just look at her. My lips are pursed together, my hand that's placed on the counter is so close to hers that I could reach out and touch her hand skin. I can feel her body heat radiating off of her and the smell of her lavender and vanilla perfume intoxicates me. If I knew her better, if I knew her longer. I'd make a move.

However, I don't. Because, I know that I still have a lot to learn about her and I don't want to ruin my chances. So, instead of making a fool of myself I pull back and clear my throat. "Yeah, it is getting late and I'm sure we're both exhausted. But, um..Are you hungry?"

Elena bows down her head, looking at how close our hands are when she softly says. "The kitchen's closed too. Why are you asking me about food?"

I smile, stepping behind her again, this time I'm overly caution not to touch her as I move past her and go into the kitchen. She watches me turn the lights on, looking around the large industrial sized kitchen for a bowl, an electric mixer and pancake batter.

"Because, I make amazing pancakes that I think you should really try before I take you home." I tell her, a beaming smile across my face as she shakes her head and says. " I can't cook, seriously. I'm horrible at it. And, whatever you have planned right now is probably going to get me fired."

Elena makes her way back to where I'm standing, behind a stainless steel table as I notice her pull up a chair near me. She's folded her hands over one another when she gives me a curious glance and asks. "So, what do you have planned anyways?"

I smile at her question, bending down to find some cinnamon and nutmeg. "This won't get you fired. Trust me, as long as we clean it up before we leave. This, is just fine. All it is is some late night pancakes, I make them all the time at the station. And, honestly..I want you to try them."

She's smiling even more as she watches me crack an egg into the bowl that I already placed the mix in, pouring some milk. A pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon into the mixture as the recipe calls for and as I go along.

"Just pancakes between friends." She smiles, placing her hands underneath her chin as I glance over to look at her. "Just pancakes between friends and the company of a beautiful girl." I mumble under my breath, hoping that she didn't hear me and I'm hoping that I'll get the chance to be with her like this, more often. Just the two of us. Smiling and laughing, with barely any cares in the world.

* * *

**-Caroline-**

"Tyler!" I exclaim, wrapping my arms around him before he's even able to step through the front door of our house. His bag drops to the ground as we step over it and I laugh when he wraps his arms around me tightly. "I've missed you so much." He exclaims, kissing my cheeks and burying his face into my hair as I inhale deeply. "You stink." I comment, my nose scrunches up as he laughs, pulling me closer and kissing my lips. "Do, I really?" He asks when I nod my head.

"You really do." I tell him, letting him go from my embrace as I step away from him and walk into the kitchen, watching Tyler briskly strip off his shirt, tossing it to the ground. "Is this better?" He questions, smirking as my eyes grow wide and I laugh.

"You are really milking this for all it's worth, aren't you." I comment. Tyler runs his fingers through his hair, leaning his head back when a loud laugh escapes out of his mouth and he finally grumbles out. "Fine, I'll go take a shower."

I watch him pick up his shirt, looking at my backside and smiling widely as he walks through our living room. I turn my back away for a moment, going back to washing my hands and preparing dinner. But, the sweet tone in Tyler's voice is gone as he says my name. The seriousness, the slight anger in his voice causes me to turn back around. I can feel the smile on my face fade away the moment he holds up the application and all the information that I had been researching before he had came home, in his hands.

"Tyler, I can explain…" My voice trails off as he leans back, sitting on our couch, exhaling heavily. Looking up at me with concern on his face. "I'm sure you can, Caroline. And, I'm pretty sure I already know what you're going to say."

My hands shake as I clutch onto the kitchen towel against my wet hands. "You don't know what I'm going to say. I've thought about it a lot and it's the only thing that makes sense, the only thing that I can see myself doing in my life, for a career!" I exclaim, my eyes are filled with irritation as he looks down at the ground before speaking to me again.

"A police officer, Caroline? Just like your mother! I get it. I really do and I would support you in it. But, both of us, putting our lives on the line every single day for our jobs isn't what I imagined when we got married!" He suddenly yells, causing my body to stiffen.

"It's what I want to do and I'm going to do it with or without your support, Tyler. I love you and I always will. But, I'm not passing up an opportunity like this one. Just because you don't like it. I'm going into the academy, Tyler. Even if you hate it." I state firmly, seeing him blink at me. He's pissed off at my choice and at this point, I'm too hard headed to even care.

"Do you remember what happened to your mom when you were in high school. Do you! Someone shot her, Caroline. Someone shot your mother and she almost died! I don't want that to happen to you. I don't want to lose you over a job that's dangerous." He admits, leaning his head back as he pressed his body into the couch cushions. I take few steps into the living room, sliding into his lap slowly.

He doesn't move, he doesn't even rest his hands against my body as I wrap my arms around his neck and softly whisper. " Oh? Like I fear losing you! Don't you dare act like I 'don't sit here and worry about you not coming home to me. Because, I do..God, when I'm not at work and I'm at this house, all I do is think about you. I'm afraid of losing you, every single day that you walk out of this house. But, you promise me that you'll make it home to me and you do. So, have a little faith in me. Because, I have it in you." The moment I say those words, his arms pull me close, wrapping around me and he kisses my heated cheek gently. "I just love you, so much and I don't want anything bad to ever happen to you."

I smile, holding back the sudden tears in my eyes as I nod. "I know and I never want anything bad to happen to you either, I'd be lost without you." I admit, kissing his lips and whispering against his ear. "I love you so much, Tyler. And, I just want us to be okay. With each other and with whatever challenges life throws our way."

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

I don't know how many times I've fallen asleep alone this week. But, I'm starting to really hate it as my eyelids begin to drift off and just as I start to feel my body go into a deep sleep. I hear the front door to our apartment unlock.

"Shit!" Damon mumbles under his breath, stepping into apartment and turning on the light in the living room. I can see it shining through the crack under the door in our bedroom as I slowly push my body up and make it halfway to the door before it opens up widely and I'm face to face with my handsome. But, very exhausted looking boyfriend.

"Did I wake you up?" He asks me, giving me an apologetic look as I sigh out a breath. "No, I was just tossing and turning in bed, laying here in a set of cold sheets, without you." I tell him with a small giggle, feeling his arms pull me near him, his lips kissing my temple.

"God, I've missed you." He comments, his lips and mouth working their way down to the curve of my neck as I inhale sharply, attempting to calm my rapid paced heart beat. "Damon, what are you doing? It's a half hour before midnight."

His whole body shakes as he laughs and locks his blue eyes on to me. There's a sudden change in his demeanor, a look of determination on his face as he kisses me sweetly before taking my hands into his own. The light from the hallway is the only thing that's illuminating our silhouettes when he finally stammers out. "I love you with my whole heart and soul, Bonnie Bennett. And, I'm only going to ask you this once. And, hopefully I won't need to repeat myself or make a total ass out of myself here."

My eyes widen as I stare into his gaze when he tightens his grip around my hands and rambles on in a sweet tone. "Marry me because I swear that I will make you the happiest woman alive and that I will love you for the rest of my life. Marry me, because you're my best friend and I can't imagine my life without you. So…What do you say. Be with me, forever?"

My jaw is locked, or maybe it's the taken by complete surprise look on my face that's causing the tightness. Because, when he asks me. I can't form any words. I just stand there, swallowing them back and clenching my hands into tight fists, dropping them from his hands and to my sides. Damon's hopeful and he's smiling, this sweet and loving gaze in my direction and I want more than anything to tell him what he wants to hear.

Don't get me wrong, I want this more than anything..I want to become Mrs. Bonnie Salvatore more than you will ever know. Although, if I want this so much..Why is it that the words that leave my lips aren't the one's that either of us want to hear in this moment of complete vulnerability between us. " I don't know that I can be your wife ,Damon. I don't know that I can do this."

* * *

**A/N: Bonnie not wanting to marry Damon...Wait, What!? O.o**

**Until Next Time!**

 


	8. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Before all the events that took place in "One and Only." Stefan Salvatore was a reckless New York City firefighter that only cared about his job. That's until he saves the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Thanks to all of you who are reading, reviewing and following this story. It honestly makes me so happy to know that you all are liking it so far. :)**

**So, here's Chapter 7! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Seven-**

**-Damon-**

"I don't know if I can do this." Is her answer. Out of all the things that could have come out of Bonnie's mouth.  _THAT_  is what she tells me?

What the hell did I do wrong in my life to have the woman that I love more than anything in this world tell me that? Huh, I must of fucked up big time and I'm pretty sure that she's about to remind me of it all.

"You're never home. And, when you are. We barely have sex and we barely talk to each other, like we used to. I miss that, I miss us!" She shouts, rolling her eyes as she places her hands on to her hips, shaking her head. "We haven't just been 'us' for a long time now, Damon. Ever since you got this job and ever since we moved in together. We haven't been us and I miss that."

"You don't want to marry me because we don't have sex enough and we don't really communicate anymore. Bonnie, if that's the only reason. Let's go have sex now and talk later. Shit, we can have hot passionate sex all over the apartment. Why the hell not." I tell her, seeing a small smile appear across her face as she continues to hold that angry looking glance.

"It's not just that." She says, taking a step back from me and shrugging her shoulders. "I'm scared, Damon. I'm scared that we'll jump into this because we're being pressure by everyone else to get married. It shouldn't be like that. We should be on the same page when we're both ready for it and clearly, right now. We're not. Let's be honest with ourselves, Damon. You don't want to marry me. And, you probably never will. So, instead of flat out telling me. You dance around the subject with excuses." She tells me, causing my eyes to nearly want to pop out of my head at her words.

"What are you talking about?" I ask her, looking her in the eyes as she shifts her gaze and looks away. I can see her bottom lip trembling as she walks around our small medium sized bedroom. Bonnie stops, unzipping a small tote bag that she now has in her hands, throwing her things into when she looks up at me and states. "I'm saying that I think we should take a break until we figure out what we both want."

"I don't need to think about what I want and I sure as hell don't need to take a break, Bonnie. I already know what that is and it's you. I want you, Bonnie. I have always wanted you. That's the damn truth. Please, stop packing and lets talk about this." I try to tell as her hands stop, dropping to her sides when she sits down on the bed, looking straight ahead.

I watch her body jerk forward for a second when I sit beside her, just inches apart. "What is there to say? That I don't know if I want to marry you because I don't think I'm going to be a good enough wife or that I'll be enough for you. That I don't want to marry you because I'm sick and tired of waking up alone and that I'm scared that one morning I'll wake up and realize that we made a big mistake.." Her voice trails off as I pull her against my chest, pressing my hand gently against her face and stroking her cheek.

"Bonnie, if you want to wait. Then, we can. We can wait as long as you want until you're ready. I'd do that for you. I'd anything for you. We can forget that I even asked you to marry me and we can just go on as we have. But, sweetheart. You need to understand that my job. This job, requires long hours and days and nights away from home. And, it'll puts a strain on any relationship. Doesn't matter how strong the couple is." I comment, hearing her sigh softly.

"I know that it does. But, Damon. We need to work on us too. Because, If we don't. Then, we'll both be miserable." She tells me as I nod, watching her lift her head up. Her brown hair is filled with electricity as she lifts her head up and smooths down her hair while locking her eyes on to me.

"So, can we take a rain check on the proposal and do it another time?" She asks me, yawning when I look into her eyes and notice that she's tired. I lean forward, kissing her lips gently. Bonnie wraps her arms around me and maneuvers herself so that she's sitting in my lap with her legs wrapped around my waistline.

"Yeah." She nods, clearing her throat and puckering up her lips before she says with a laugh. "I wasn't joking when I said that we don't have sex enough though." She sighs, twirling a piece of her hair in between her fingers, watching me get up from the bed as I quickly strip off my shirt and then my work pants, tossing them aside and doing a little twirl around the room in my boxers as I speak. "If you missed seeing me naked. Honey, all you had to do was ask."

Bonnie's laughter makes my heart swell as she leans back and falls against the mattress, curling up her legs and turning to the side. I can see her wiping away her tears from all the laughter she's doing. God, I miss seeing her smile. I miss seeing her happy and making her laugh.

She's right, you know. We haven't been  _us_  in a long time. Goofy, silly and completely in love with each other... _That kind of 'Us.'_

"I've missed you, baby." I tell her, hovering over her as she gets up. Her elbows support her while she looks up at me and leans into them more, smiling. "This little stunt you're pulling to get me in bed still won't change my answer about marrying you, Damon."

I lick my lips, touching her face with my fingertips and lean in to kiss her. My eyes are locked on to hers and I can feel her warm breath wash over my face as I cup her chin with my hand. "I know that it won't. But, I want you to remember that even when I've spent days away from you that you are the only thing on my mind. Because deep down. I know that you wanted to say yes to me tonight. Although, the real problem is that you're scared that once we got married that we'd end up hating each other...Which, will never be the case."

Bonnie looks at me, pulling back a little and giving me a perplexed look as she asks softly. "How are you so sure that we'll make it, if we get married?"

My fingers push a strand of her hair behind her ears and my lips kiss hers sweetly when I back away for a second, smiling as I add in. "I'm sure of it because you know me better than anyone and I'd be marrying my best friend. That right there should give you enough reassurance that when and if we do get married. That, we will make it."

"You think that we'll make it because we're best friends?" She asks me, a lingering smile spreading across her lips as I nod.

"Yeah, because everyone knows that all the good relationships start with a solid friendship first." I comment, pulling her closer to me as she runs her hands over the hair on the back of my neck.

"Is that so?" She asks me. My eyebrows lift, a smile spreading across my mouth when I truthfully tell her. "Of course it is. You and I wouldn't have lasted this long if we hadn't been best friends first."

Bonnie looks down at her hand against my bare chest, her fingers walking across my skin as she exhales. "I guess. But, what about your brother and Makayla or Tyler and Caroline?"

I laugh out loud, closing my eyes before replying. "Well, Makayla and Stefan didn't last very long because they weren't best friends to begin with. He's never said that he's loved any of his girlfriends and he just got with her for the sex. No matter how much he wants to deny that. And, Tyler and Caroline. Those two may fight like cats and dogs. But, they are in it for the long haul. They're best friends and they mean everything to each other. Kind of like, you and me." I declare, watching as she grins.

"I love you and even though you don't want to marry me right now. I'm going to make it my mission to make you realize that one day. I will make a damn good husband and you will be my amazing wife." I tell her, opening my mouth to say something else as her finger against my lips stop me.

"I love you too. But, we really need to work on ourselves before we get married or engaged. And, I want to do that so that I'm sure that we'll be okay." She comments, this mischievous look is in her eyes when she says the words and I can feel my heart pounding against my chest.

"How much work is this going to take? Because, to be honest. I'm pretty exhausted." I utter out with a joking tone, feeling her hand slide down my chest as her fingers stop against the waistband of my boxers and she kisses my stomach before she says with a beaming smile. "Lots and lots of work, babe. It's going to take lots of work."

* * *

**-Stefan-**

I wipe my mouth with the cloth napkin beside me as I watch maple syrup drip down her chin. Elena's laughing at me, tears are clouding her brown eyes as she looks up at me. "These were horrible. They're all burnt." She comments, watching as I put my fork down, laughing with her.

"Yeah, they were pretty bad. Although, that doesn't really explain why we each ate two of them." I tell her. Elena shakes her head, her laughter stops and she becomes serious all of a sudden. "I haven't laughed like this in a long time. Thank you." She says in a soft spoken tone.

I smile back. You know that kind of smile that makes your cheeks hurt. "You're welcome." I reply, noticing that she's starting to clean up, quickly picking up the plates and nearly dropping them down to the ground when I stupidly utter out. "There's this event at the firehouse. Each year the fire chief, our captain and a lot of the firefighters participate in it. Some guys even bring their wives and kids to it. It's for a kids charity and-."

I watch her slowly turn back around to me, placing our plates into the sink as she puts her hands on the edge of it, talking to the wall in front of her. "Are you asking me to go with you?"

I laugh again, this little nervous sound leaves past my lips. I honestly don't even know what I'm asking of her. I don't even know why I brought the event up. But, here we are, awkwardly talking about it.

"Well, um. Makayla used to go to these things with me and now, I just.." My voice trails off as Elena turns back to me fully now, crossing her arms over her chest as I watch her lean her back against the sink behind her.

"Your ex girlfriend, I take it?" She asks as I nod.

"Yes, my ex girlfriend will be there and-." I try my best to say and just when I want to explain further, Elena clicks her tongue to the roof of her mouth, uncrosses her arms and walks back to the table that I'm leaning against, staring at her.

"I would love to go. It's for charity and I love kids. So, I would love to go with you. And, besides. I could meet your friends again. They seemed fun." She tells me with a beaming smile, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ears.

"So, tell me more about yourself." I comment, watching her fingers uncurl from the plate when she places it onto another table, looking down at the floor and, shrugging her shoulders back.

"There's not much to say." She says nonchalantly as I tilt my head to the side, trying another angle. Maybe if I talk about myself for a bit more. She might feel a little more comfortable. "My mom taught me how to cook, she loved it. I guess that's where I mostly picked it up from. And, my dad taught Damon and I magic tricks when we were kids. He used to always trick us into thinking that money came out of our ears." I'm smiling as I talk about the fond memories I have of my parents and I can tell that Elena is relaxing a little, leaning her back against the table behind when she takes a step back towards the one I'm sitting at before she pulls up a chair again and sits down, crossing her legs.

"My mom was drunk for most of my childhood. So, my memories with her are mostly crappy ones. But, my dad was my best friend- who I adored. My brother, Jeremy and I grew up thinking that my dad was the best guy in the world. It was really hard when he passed away from cancer. And, it was even worse when my mom tried cleaning up her act. She was good for a while and we actually thought that we would be okay. And then she met my step dad at an AA meeting." Elena pauses for a minute, exhaling deeply before she continues.

"He was a decent guy from the majority of our childhood. But, over years that disappeared quickly. I remember my brother and I came home once to find them both passed out with barely any food in the fridge. We don't have very many family members in New York. So, when Child Protection Services came to get us from the house, for the first time. Jeremy and I were terrified. Thankfully, they didn't separate us and we only spent a few weeks at the foster home. But, I was 11 years old and I remember thinking to myself that if my mom didn't get it together that I would run away. Eventually, she tried pulling herself together again. Sadly, it was always on and off and short lived. I guess, that's why when my brother and I both turned 18, we moved out..." Her voice trails off as she shakes her head and clears her throat. The pain in her brown eyes makes my heart hurt for her and I want to grab her hand, comfort her instantly. Although, I don't. Instead, I change the subject.

"So, I told you about my ex. What about yours?" Her eyes widen as she smiles a little and places her hands on top of each other. "I don't have any. I've never dated before. I know what you're thinking. She's 21 years old and has never had a boyfriend..What the hell is wrong with her? right? Well, I was too busy surviving and keeping my mother an eye on my mother and working. Keeping the little family we had, together." She admits as I find myself staring at her.

"Maybe it's good that I don't have all that ex boyfriend baggage. Since, I'm already screwed up as it is." She laughs in a joking manner, trying to lighten the mood as I smile at her, shrugging my shoulders back.

"You're not screwed up, Elena. You're beautiful and very sweet. And, believe me. Whoever ends up with you is going to be the luckiest man in the world." I tell her, watching as she closes her eyes for a moment. I can see her cheeks blushing as she looks away from me, staring at the clock and trying my own tactic of changing the subject.

"Ah, you don't take compliments very well." I mutter it out, seeing her smile as she turns her head back to me when she nods. "I never really have."

"Something to work on." I comment, catching her smile widen a little as she gets up again and looks at me.

"Stefan. You seem like a really nice guy. But, I'm very complicated. So, having a friendship with me..Is going to be difficult." She warns me, pushing herself up and walking over to the sink, rolling up her sleeves and preparing to wash our dishes. I follow her quickly, standing beside her. I don't say anything until the water's running over her fingers and she's staring at it like she's in a trance.

"I like complicated and messy. Because, that's how life is." I say, watching a small smile curl upon her lips, showing her teeth.

"Complicated and messy has been my life since I was a little kid. I guess that's why I keep myself so guarded with people. Because, it's hard for me to let others into this life I have." Elena tells me, dropping a fork as we both flinch when it hits the bottom of the sink.

"Things will get better for you." I tell her, taking one of the white plates from the drying rack and smiling at her when she hands me another dish and then she asks. "How do you know that?"

Elena watches me dry the other one, placing it on to the counter as I speak. "I'm a big believer in that."

She places the forks down, drying them right before she turns off the water. "I don't know if I am. You know, it's hard to be sometimes when all you've been dealt in life is some pretty big problems." She says, drying her hands and looking up at the clock.

"I think it helps ease pain. I don't know. All I know is that having hope is a good thing." I tell her softly, hearing her exhale as she looks over at me.

"My mom is going to be so angry with me. I was supposed to be home almost two hours ago." She says as she brushes past me. But, my hand touching her arm stops her as I lock my eyes on to hers, looking down at her with a smile when I lean into her ear and whisper. "Keep your chin up. Everything will be okay. Just, have a little hope, Elena."

* * *

**-Elena-**

I don't really know what to say to him as we walk side by side. My eyes are mostly focused down on to the ground beneath my feet. I can hear my shoes step over a few Autumn leaves, and I shiver from the cold as he steps a little closer while we walk.

My voice and curiosity about him finally breaks the silence. "Do you ever get scared. Being the one to go into a burning building while everyone else is rushing out of it?"

Stefan's lips harden into a straight line as he nods. "Honestly, I get scared all the time. But, I don't show it. Because, it's part of the job. I have a good team though. Tyler, Matt and my brother, Damon are the best. Daniel, a guy that I've known for forever is awesome too. We're best friends, like brothers."

"That must be nice. Being so close with all of them." I comment, my body is shivering from the cold air around us and as we speak I can see my breath while I talk.

"Yeah, really it is. I would do anything for them. And, I know that they have my back whenever I need them. Listen, Elena I think you really should come to the charity event. It's in a few days and everyone will be there, It'll be fun and it doesn't need to be a date or anything...We can just go as friends." He clarifies nervously as I smile, watching him stop suddenly as he looks me over. Stefan shrugs off his jacket, placing it around my shoulders and as I inhale, I'm engulfed with the scent of him.

This feeling of warmth overcomes me and I smile at it while I pull the coat closer to my body as he quickly replies. "You were shivering. And, so I thought that you'd want that."

I laugh a little, shaking my head. "Thank you." I whisper softly as he continues to walk beside me, glancing at me every so often.

"You're welcome." He says, continuing to walk us towards the station as he whistles out a breath. "So,the pancakes were that bad, huh? I guess I shouldn't make them for you again, then?" He asks.

My cheeks get flushed as I look up at him briskly, my hand swinging back and accidentally brushing up against his. Stefan tilts his head to the side, licking his lips with a smile and glistening in his eyes. "I'm not saying never again. I just think that you should work on it. And, maybe when you get better at it. Then, we can try them again."

He laughs a little, looking up at the red brick building with it's bright lights and the garages open, revealing two large fire trucks parked inside and a smaller tanker looking one parked beside them as well. Stefan lifts his hands up with excitement and pure joy as he happily announces. " Fair enough. So, Elena, this is firehouse 17. Firehouse 17. This is Elena. There, now you two have been properly introduced." He laughs as we walk up to his truck and he begins unlocking the doors, looking back behind his shoulder.

"It's pretty, isn't it." He asks as I look up at the station, nodding.

"You really love what you do, don't you?" I ask, walking over to the passenger side, slowly getting in as he does the same on the driver's side, starting the truck with a loud rumble.

"I love this job. I mean, it kind of prevents me from having other things. Like a stable girlfriend..But, you know. It's what I love to do. The rush of running into danger is like no other. I've never had anything make my heart pound that much. I love looking into the eyes of the people who need to be saved and telling them that everything will be okay. I could never imagine doing anything else in my life. This place is like my second home." He tells me with so much passion and so much love in his voice. It makes me smile, the thought of someone loving what he does so much. Something about that is truly admirable.

"Enough about my rambling. We should really get you home. Besides, it's getting late anyways. I'm sure that you're mom's pretty worried sick." He tells me as I yawn, looking out the window as we pass by a bunch of closed down shops for the night, the city that's usually bustling with life looks so deserted and lonely this late at night.

"She's never worried about me. Not even when I was a little girl." I inhale a breath deeply, trying the best that I can to prevent myself from crying at the thought of my mother and then I feel his hand on my shoulder, his soft voice echoing into the nearly silent car.

"If you ever need anyone. I'm here, you know. To talk or whatever." He tells me with a smile, sliding his hand down my arm. I watch him quickly place it back onto the steering wheel as he too inhales, continuing to drive.

* * *

After getting lost a bit and turning down the wrong road. He finally turns the car back around, embarrassed at his lack of direction when he finally parks in front of the correct house.

"This is me." I comment, shrugging off his jacket as I toss it in the back, grabbing my apron and my purse. Stefan parks the car, rolling down the windows as he keeps one of his hands on the steering wheel.

"Have a good night, Elena." He says softly as I look up at him. My hands stopping their movements from bunching up my apron. He leans back as I inch closer, my breath is shaky and so is my body.  _"What the hell are you doing!"_  My mind screams at me when I lean towards his cheek, leaving a quick kiss against his rough stubble covered skin.

My lungs expand when I lean back into my seat. There's this goofy grin across my lips as I close my eyes and he laughs while he adds. "That was cute. Giving me a good night kiss. That was pretty cute."

Stefan's voice snaps me back to reality as my eyes fly open and I look at him. "That didn't make things messy and complicated between us, did it?"

He shakes his head, leaning towards my ear as he softly whispers against it before brushing his own lips against my overheated cheek. "I told you. I like complicated and messy." He tells me in reassurance. Leaving a kiss against my skin that I end up still feeling the moment that I step out of his truck and walk straight back to the house.

"Goodnight, Stefan." I tell him. Watching as he nods at me. I hear him start his truck again and slowly make his way down the street as I stand there, placing my hand on to the spot where his lips touched my skin. I'm smiling like a fool.

* * *

The steps up to the house creak loudly as I walk up them, unlocking the door with cold hands. The door pushes open and the warm air escapes from the house as I quickly step inside, shutting the door quietly behind me. I know that if I'm quiet enough that she won't wake up because the last thing I need is my mother asking me questions about where I've been and who I've been out with. But, as my converse shoes make their way up on to the first step that leads upstairs to my bedroom, I hear her voice call out to me from the living room.

"Elena, where the hell have you been?" She asks me with a scolding tone. Her lips are pursed together, her clothing is dissolved and her hair looks like a matted brown mess as she eyes me up and down with nothing but disappointment.

"Work." I simply reply, swallowing back the rest of what I was going to say. Because, she doesn't need to know. I don't want her to know who dropped me off. Although, before I can even tell myself that I won't tell her, my mother's fishing for answers.

"Luke dropped me off. We stayed late after Rosie went home. We were doing inventory." I lie, watching her take a step back.

"Luke doesn't have a truck." She points out as I let out a nervous laugh.

"He borrowed it from his dad. It's his dad's truck." I quickly correct myself with a smile as she leans towards me, kissing my forehead and mumbling for me to get some sleep.

She watches me take a few steps up the stairs and turn back to the sound of her voice. "I love you, sweetie. I want you to know that, regardless of what you might think of me. We all make mistakes, Elena. And, I'm sorry for the ones I made when your father died." She says as I turn back around, giving her a blank stare. Her words catch me off guard. My body tenses, I involuntarily scoff at her words and that's when I lash out at her.

"The little girl that you abused, that you let be abuse by yourself and by our dear old 'daddy John.' She'll never forgive you for what you did. So, how dare you try to make up for it now? I honestly don't even know why I'm here. I was better off without you. But, of course. You made me believe that you really do need me!" I shout out at her, taking a step back down and when I look closer, I can see the tears in her eyes. They're spilling over on to her cheeks and causing her to stammer out her words. " I do need you now. Please, honey. I'm sorry, Elena. I was a horrible mother to you. I know that. But, I'm trying to show you that I'm better. Please, can we just put this all behind us?"

I close my eyes, shaking my head. Reminding myself of all the things she did to us. My blood runs cold at the thoughts. "Years without, I have spent years without you. Jeremy and I have. Honestly mother, he's the only family that I have- the only family I need. I think it's laughable that you're trying to act like a mother now. But, where the hell were you when I was a little girl, needing you! Oh yeah, that's right. You were too busy sleeping around with random men and too addicted to the bottle to even see how much you were destroying Jeremy and I!" I scream at her, my fingernails digging into the banister of the staircase as I shout at her, watching her take it all. Knowing that once I've said all I've got to say that I'll cry myself to sleep and she'll go straight for her old best friend, a bottle of boozes.

"You don't understand how hard it was for me. Losing your father. Grayson was my whole world and the day he died. I fell apart. I don't think you'll ever understand what it's like losing someone that you love that much. And I really hope that you never have to go through that kind of pain." She tells me, trying to justify her actions.

I bite down on my lower lip, tasting the blood being drawn from it as I lick my tongue over them. Deep down feeling sorry for my mother. Since, I know that somewhere in her heart..She really did love my father. "I know how hard it was on you when dad died. But, what I don't understand is why you subjected your own children to everything you and John did. Mom, we were just kids when you and John left us without food and disappeared for three days! Who does that to their children? I can tell you who, an unfit mother. Someone who is selfish and who only cares about themselves." I conclude, turning back up to the stairs when I hear her inhale sharply.

"How many times do I have to apologize and tell you that I made a lot of mistakes and that I'm sorry for everything!" She shouts as I cringe at the sound of her voice, turning my head back when I tearfully make it all the way up the stairs. "Once you start meaning it." I bellow at her, slamming the door to my room and laying face down on the bed once I get to it, wailing sobs leaving my lungs.

My cold hands wipe away my hot cascading tears as I curse myself for being so stupid and naive into thinking that she had changed. Because, as much as I want to believe it. I am still having a hard time thinking that she really has. The moment my eyes close, the tears continue to fall and I'm not really sure why I look at it. But, I do. My eyes glance over at his jacket. Personally, I think that's the moment I snap. Or maybe it's the moment I realize that I need someone more than just Luke in my life.

My body slowly pushes up off of my bed as I walk over to the sweatshirt, pulling out the card that he had given me with his number on it. It's late. A little past midnight by now. But, I need someone to talk to and I'm hoping that he's made it home and is still awake. Grabbing my cell phone with trembling hands I dial his number that he had given me, placing it to my ear as it begins to ring.

One. Two. Three rings go by before he picks up. "This is Stefan." He answers, groggily.

"Stefan, I'm sorry to call you this late. But, this is Elena and I didn't know who else to call. I know that your brother wanted you to have my number a few days ago and I'm not really sure why I didn't give it to you. But, did I wake you?" I ask him, trying to keep my choking sobs at bay. But, he must be able to sense it because his tone of voice turns to instant alertness and concern.

"No, you didn't wake me. I just got home. Elena, are you okay?" He asks me, clearing his throat as I picture him rubbing at his eyes, clearing the sleepiness away.

"I had a fight with my mom. And, I'm sorry I called you. I just- I usually call Luke for these things. But, I don't know where he is tonight..So.." I stammer out, trying to explain as he sighs out a breath.

"Hey, it's fine. I gave you my number to call me anytime. And, I meant it. So, do you and Luke usually talk about the problems with you and your mom?" He asks me with a sleep filled voice as I yawn. I slowly turn off my lamp light and cover up my body with the comforter on my bed as I shake my head, replying softly. "No, he stays with me on the phone until I fall asleep. Listen, you don't need to-."

Stefan cuts me off, I can picture his smiling face in my mind as I lay my head down against the pillow and he says sweetly. "I'll stay on the phone with you until you fall asleep, Elena. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here, I promise. Just close your eyes and go to sleep." His voice, the sound of it is so soothing that before I know I'm drifting off to sleep while his words play in my head.. _"Everything will be okay, Elena. Just have a little hope."_

* * *

**-Tyler-**

I can't sleep. Tossing and turning isn't helping me much either as I lay beside her and think about all the things she's going to go through when she starts the police force. My hand lifting up against Caroline's night gown, pushing back her hair causes her to stir, turning to me and blinking her eye open in the darkened room.

"I'm trying to sleep." She says in between a yawn, placing her hand underneath her pillow as she glares at me.

"I know. But, I wanted to talk about this job thing that you want to do." I comment, hearing her groan as she rolls over on her side. I watch my wife pull herself up, turning on a small lamp in our room.

"Tyler, it's almost 1:30 in the morning and you still want to talk about this? I thought we already did." She says, an agitated tone seeping past her lips as I inhale deeply.

"I know. But, I love you and I worry about you. Caroline, I'll support you in anything that you do. You know that. But, sweetheart. This..Being a cop. It scares me." I tell her, watching as she gets up, shaking her head and placing her hands on to her hips.

"And, you don't think that what you do for a living doesn't scare me! Tyler, every time a firefighter is injured or dies and is on the news because of it. I hold my breath because I'm scared to death that it's going to be you! You can't do that. You can't just worry about me all the time and not about yourself. I'm a big girl, Tyler. I can take care of myself." She says, shaking her head like she's disappointed in me and maybe even in herself.

"Sure, you can. You don't need me. Hell, I don't even know why I'm with you sometimes, Caroline. You're so God damn hot and cold all the time. Make up your mind. Do you even love me?" I raise my voice at her, my words spewing out in an angered tone as she looks up at me, blue eyes widen.

"Of course, I love you! Don't be ridiculous. What are you trying to say?" She asks, looking down at her left hand, examining her wedding ring.

"Oh come on. Don't act like you don't see it. We got married too young! We don't know what the hell we're doing together sometimes, Caroline. I love you. I would do anything for you. But, this..Us. Being together like this. I think we screwed up with getting married so young. We should have waited." I tell her, pointing my finger in between us as she huffs out a breath, angrily looking at me.

"Of course we got married young, Tyler. But, if you don't know what you're doing with me. Then-." I cut her off, rubbing my temples because I know that I just used the wrong word choice. "I'm not talking about a divorce or a separation. I'm just thinking that maybe we should talk to my mom about our problems." I suggestion as her eyes widen even more and she lets out a laugh, shaking her head.

"Your mother who is a therapist? My mother in law. You want to talk about our problems with your mother. That woman hates me. So, no. I do not want to talk  _about our problems_  with  _your mother_." Caroline tells me, keeping her voice calmed. But, I can tell that her blood pressure is rising by the way her face is getting- beat red.

I roll my eyes at her. "Oh, don't be so dramatic. Maybe it'll help. Lots of people go to marriage counseling, Caroline. And, if you want to keep what we have in good shape. I think we should do it." I suggest, watching her glare at me. I can tell that she's clearly opposed to it. However, I know that Caroline also has a hard time saying no.

She closes her eyes, clutching her fingers against the sheets of our bed as she leans back into the pillows, shutting off the lamp light. "Fine, I'll go with you. But, under no circumstances am I going to talk about our sex life with your mother. Since, mine already knows too much as it is!" She explains. As I pause, turning on my side to see that she's turned her back to me and is just about to fall back asleep.

"You talk about our sex life to your mother?" I ask her as she tightens the covers around her body and turns back around to look at me. Her head is on the pillow, her golden curly locks are sprawled out against the white pillow case and her blue eyes I can't even really see them in the dimly lit room.

"Well, not everything. But, I have told her that I want a baby and how we're struggling." She comments. Caroline looks up at me when I grab a hold of her hand, giving it a tight squeeze.

"Sweetie. I know that you want us to start a family. And, we will one day. But-." She cuts me off with her voice breaking. "I know. Not right now because it's not the right time. Especially with me wanting to go into the police force and you working your way up the ranks at the station. I know, because it's never the right time to even talk about it." She tells me coldly, turning her back towards me as she inhales sharply and softly whispers. "Wake me up if you need anything. But, please do so only if it's important. Good night."

* * *

**A/N: Please feel free to leave me a review and follow me on twitter at BePassionate_24 for commentary. :)**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

 


	9. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Before all the events that took place in "One and Only." Stefan Salvatore was a reckless New York City firefighter that only cared about his job. That's until he saves the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Thank you all so much for reading, favoriting, following and reviewing!**

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**Enjoy & I hope you all like the update.**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Eight**

**-Damon-**

"I'm an idiot. Maybe Stefan's right." I comment, watching Matt roll his eyes and huff out a breath.

"You're an idiot for not marrying, Bonnie. We know. That's kind of why you're on my shit list." I hear a voice shout out into the locker rooms, causing me to turn around and see Stefan with a wide smirk on his face.

"I haven't seen you this happy since you lost your virginity to Makayla." I chuckle out, getting a playful shove off of the bench I'm sitting on. Matt and Stefan both laugh when I fall to the floor, glaring at them.

"Shut up and don't be an asshole today, Damon. I didn't sleep well last night." Stefan groans, running his hands over his face as I give him a perplexed look.

"Oh, are you fixing that broken heart of yours?" I tease him, watching him yawn as he shakes his head. "Not exactly. I stayed up too late, talking to Elena" He confesses.

"Elena, the waitress from Rosies? The one I told you to get her number. That Elena?" I ask, watching Stefan smile a little as he laughs. "Yes, Damon. That Elena."

"Huh, does she know that she might end up being a rebound girl for you?" I question, watching Stefan roll his eyes as he shakes his head and clasps his hands together.

"It's not like that with her. She's different. I actually want to get to know her before I even attempt anything. I guess, you just wouldn't understand." He says, getting up from the bench as I look over at him.

"I just don't want you using this girl and making her think she has a chance with you. When in reality, you'll probably just end up sleeping together and that's it. Stefan, the girls you sleep with...The one's you've been with. Those chicks are crazy. Remember that one that claimed and had almost convinced you that she was pregnant with your baby. But, really is was her ex-boyfriends and you had never even touched her!" I exclaim, hearing him let out a laugh.

"Oh, I touched her. I just never touched her like that if you know what I mean." He winks, grinning as I place my hand on to his shoulder.

"Just, if things get too weird with this one. Promise me that you'll break it off. I don't want another repeat of Makayla Murphy." I explain, seeing Stefan get up and start to yank his shirt over his head, changing into a nice, new crisp one while catching my gaze.

"I'm not dating her, Damon. I want to take my time with this girl and really get to know her. We're friends, that's all we are right now. But, if we go out on a date every once in a while. It doesn't mean that we're dating." He clarifies as I smile at him, nodding.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that. Trust me, Stefan. In a few months, she'll be your girlfriend. Then, you'll have all your anxieties about committing to her just like you had them with Makayla. Tell me, brother..You didn't want to marry Makayla because- what was the reason again?"

Stefan bites his lower lip, sliding out of his sweatpants and into his work pants as he sighs. "I didn't want to marry her because I was afraid of committing myself like that. That's also the reason, I never told any of the women I was with that I loved them. Because, I know that in a few months, somewhere down the road- they'll expect things from me that I can't make happen." He adds on, shutting the door to his locker with a loud thud.

I laugh, throwing my shirt at him as he allows it to fall to the floor. "You don't want to get too close to her. So, you're keeping your distance? Hm, I used to do that with Bonnie. And, now look at us. You know, speaking of my girlfriend. I asked her to marry me last night." My words must come as a complete shock because the look on my brother's face is priceless as he glances in my direction with bright eyes and a smirk.

"You're kidding." Stefan begins to say as I nod.

"Nope. I asked her to marry me and her exact words were. I'm not home enough and that she's afraid that she won't be a good enough wife…" My voice trails off as Stefan's lips twist into a contorted saddened smile.

"Ouch, that must of been hard to hear." He comments, watching as I shake my head. "You have no idea. I love her, Stefan. I want her in my life because she is the best thing that has ever happened to me. So, I promised her that we would take it slow and figure things out as they went along. I don't want to pressure her into marrying me when everyone else is already doing that. You know, Bonnie's mom, Abby called the other night because she wanted to know if we were engaged yet." I explain, closing my eyes and exhaling heavily when we both hear Matt's voice booming coming from the walk way.

"Stefan, someone's out here looking for you!" Stefan rolls his eyes, shoving himself up from the bench when he smiles at me. "Damon, don't take forever to marry her. And, stop listening to what everyone else tells you. Just, follow your heart and when the moment comes and it feels right- ask her." He advises, leaving me in the locker room all alone, smiling at his words.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

I jog out into the lounge area as I glance at Matt who's leaning against the wall outside of the locker rooms. "Who's looking for me"?" I ask him, watching as he nods towards the large cafeteria tables and that's when I see her. Her hands clutching a book as she reads it intently, as if she's mesmerized by it.

"The Notebook. Sounds depressing and boring." I comment, watching her smile grow when she places the book down on to the white colored table and looks up at me when I pull a chair up from across from her, straddling the chair and placing my hands firmly upon the back of it.

"It's a romance book. You don't look like the romance type of guy anyways. You'd be that guy making fun of almost everything that was in it." She says with a stern tone, locking her eyes on to mine.

" Yeah, I'm pretty sure that I would be. But, why are you reading about all that romance stuff. When you could be living it." I joke with her, seeing her roll her eyes at me.

"Are you being serious right now? Who could I be living a romantic life with?" She asks in a sharp tone, nearly glaring at me.

" Oh, I don't know, Elena. But, I'm sure you could easily find someone instead of keeping your nose shoved in a book." I tease her, realizing that she's getting a little irritated with me.

"I came here to talk about last night and say thank you. I didn't come here for you to critique my reading choices. So, thank you for being just what I needed and staying with me." She replies flatly, watching as I smile at her.

"You should stay for lunch. It's my turn to make some food for the crew and it would be my way of making it up to you." I comment out loud, watching her glance up at me.

"Make what up to me? You haven't done anything." Elena remarks with a curiosity in her eyes.

I laugh, grabbing the book from her hands and flipping through the papers briskly as I disagree. "Sure, I have. I've made you eat burnt pancakes and I've just spent a good five minutes making fun of your reading choices. That's grounds for making you a "Please forgive me for being an asshole lunch."

She looks around the room, covering her mouth as she laughs. "You're ridiculous."

"I actually need to be at work later. But, how about you meet me at the diner?" I sigh out a breath, smirking a little.

"I have a better idea. I pick you up from the diner and I make you dinner at my place. Tonight." I offer, watching as she gives me a surprised look.

"I.." Elena begins to hesitantly say as I lean forward, smiling.

"It's not a date. It's just two friends, eating dinner and maybe watching a stupid movie. You can pick it of course. Just, none of these silly over the top romance chick flicks, please." She smiles, nodding and agreeing to it. However, the moment I look back at her, she looks hesitant again.

"So, I don't need to like dress up?" She asks as I lift myself up from the table, leaning forward a little and whispering out my words. "Elena, you look nice in whatever you wear."

Her eyebrows knit together. "Are you hitting on me?" She questions, tilting her head to the side with a small smile curling upon her lips.

She watches me shrug my shoulders when I reply to her question with a straight face. "Maybe, just a little."

Her mouth drops open. But, she's at a loss for words. "Hey, you're beautiful. Just, take the compliment and lets not makes this awkward." I tell her, just about to walk away from the table after telling her that I should get back to work.

"Stefan?" She says my name in a questionable tone as I pivot back on the soles of my boots, waiting for her to speak. "Thank you for everything." Elena comments, grabbing her book as she puts it underneath her arm and walks over to me. She looks me over, as if she's examining the dark black and blue bags under my eyes from not sleeping well.

"Take care of yourself." She says in a low and soft voice as she leans into me, embracing me tightly. I don't know where to place my arms. It's one of those sudden and a little awkward hugs as we stand there and she keeps herself pressed up against my chest when I finally gently place my arms around her back, pulling her closer. I inhale her scent of a welcoming lavender and vanilla perfume. She smells nice and feels so warm. If this wasn't awkward, I could hold on to her for days, just like this- with her chest against mine and her face buried into the curve of my neck.

"See you later tonight." Elena tells me sweetly as she backs away and smiles.

I nod, grinning and brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear that's sticking to her cheek. Before replying with an even toned. "I'll see you tonight."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

"Carol." I comment with a sharp sigh, taking a seat in her office as she looks up from her stack of notes and folders, sprawled across her dark brown desk.

"Caroline." She replies in the same matching tone, looking up at me through her light framed brown glasses, pulling them upward with the tip of her finger.

"It's nice to see you." She adds in, smiling just a little as she looks up and see's me cross my legs over one another, placing my left hand with my diamond ring on top of my knee when I take a seat. I inhale deeply. Don't get me wrong, I like my husband's mother. It's just, she's a bit nosy and a bit pushy..And, she can't stand me. Overall though, Carol Lockwood is sweet and wonderful. However, she's just not so sweet to me. Her husband, Richard Lockwood is a lawyer who has always wanted Tyler to be the best and follow in his footsteps. The Lockwood family comes from wealth, lots of it and they probably always had thought that their son would marry someone with money. Instead, Tyler married me. Going against his family's wishes and now his parents don't really like me or the choices that Tyler and I have made thus far in our relationship.

"It's nice to see you too. Listen, I'm not here alone, Tyler's parking the car. So, don't worry- we don't have to keep up this fake facade of liking each other." I tell her, watching as she looks me over, shaking her head.

"I already know why you're here." She spits out, the atmosphere shifts the minute she says those words and I'm pissed off, wanting to get up and leave.

"He told you?" I ask her, seeing her give me that saddened look. I hate that look- the one people give you when they don't really know what to say. However, their eyes tell you everything- mostly how pathetic they think you are.

"I know what you're thinking- Caroline Forbes- Lockwood is a mess. My son, Tyler, married trailer trash and now she can't give him a child. But, let's face the facts. I love your son, Carol. I love him and even though you're not my favorite person and this isn't my first choice in fixing our problems. I'm here for him." I quickly tell her, hearing her huff out a breath and just as she looks at me to say something, the door swings open and Tyler appears.

"Sorry, I'm late. I got a call from work." He says, taking the car keys out of his pocket and handing them to me when we both hear his mother get up from her seat.

She hugs him tightly, exhaling as she steps away and says. "My son, always working. So, tell me. How's the job?"

Tyler smiles at her, taking a seat beside me. He stops a moment, leaning into me and kissing my cheek, grabbing a hold of my hand and intertwining our fingers. "Good, the job keeps me busy. But, you know that's not why we're here."

Carol nods, smiling just a little as she looks from me to Tyler. " Funny, that was what your wife was just saying. So, both of you want to talk about your marriage. What seems to be the problem?"

I'm nervous suddenly. I can feel my palms become sweaty and all I want to do is shout out all my frustrations. But, before I can even formulate how I'm going to tell my mother in law about what's bothering me. Tyler speaks first.

"I took a vow to be by her side in whatever comes our way and I meant it with my whole heart. But, Caroline wants to become a police officer and that scares me to death because all I can think about is how many things could go wrong on the job. I don't care what you think about my wife or our relationship, mom. All I care about is how we're going to deal with all these changes in our marriage. Because, right now..I don't know where to start and that is why we're here. Because, I trust you and you're one of the best therapists that I know and even though this is probably a conflict of interest. I don't care. I just need your advice on how to help us." The room goes silent as Carol exhales heavily, tapping her pen against the yellow legal pad on her lap. She looks up at me through her thick glasses.

"Caroline, what do you have to say about that?" She asks as I tighten my grip against my husband's hand and I blink my eyelashes at her. "I have a lot to say, actually." I comment, opening my mouth and nervously looking up at my mother in law and my husband before I speak my mind.

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"So, did you tell her how much you don't like her?" I ask her jokingly, watching as Caroline rolls her eyes and wraps her fingers around the Styrofoam cup in her hands. I texted her after her appointment with Carol because I was going crazy at being in the apartment alone since Damon left early this morning for work and I needed some girl time with my best friend.

"No. I just told her that it was stupid for Tyler to be so worried about me and that I want a baby and he doesn't- right now, at least. Also, that I went to her office because of him and that I wasn't there for her to judge me. Instead, I was there for her to help fix us." Caroline spits out, taking the basket of french fries between us and scooting it closer to her, taking one of the crispy and golden looking fries from the basket and dipping it into the over sized ketchup bowl beside them.

"So, you heard most of my gossip. How are things with you and Damon?" Caroline asks me as I smile at her question.

"We're good. You know, he asked me to marry him the other night." I comment casually, watching Caroline's eyes grow as she chokes on the straw she has in her mouth, coughing loudly and causing a few people to look at us.

"Shut up! He did not!" She exclaims, intrigue in her blue eyes as she leans forward with a grin. "And, what did you say?"

"I told him, no." I reply flatly. Caroline leans forward against the table, lowering her head down and whispering out her words. "What do you mean, you said no!"

She watches me shake my head, smiling a little. "I didn't mean, no forever. I meant. I'm not ready for that yet. I love him, Caroline. He's my best friend and he's amazing. But, we still have a lot of growing up to do. Both together and by ourselves." I tell her, hearing Caroline let out a loud chuckle.

"Bonnie, you're scared. Just like I was before I married Tyler. You're scared and you don't want to admit it to yourself. Honey, he loves you. He's stuck by you through almost everything. The day your parents divorced, the night you told them both that you wanted to try and become a lawyer instead of going to school to become a nurse and then when you finally told them that you were going to be moving in with your boyfriend that you had only known for a little less than a year. They were so upset with you that you chose Damon over going to school and that you got a regular 9-5 job. But, Damon helped them understand that it wasn't a bad idea and he proved to them that he would take care of you no matter what. Bon, what I'm trying to say is that you two belong together as husband and wife. Because, from an outsider point of view. You're perfect for each other. And, I know you're scared and that you think that you might not be good enough." She pauses, taking a deep breath and grabbing a hold of my hands when she states. "But, you are, Bonnie Bennett. You are amazing and wonderful and Damon Salvatore is a lucky man to have you in his life."

I inhale a shaky breath, squeezing a hold of Caroline's hands when I smile at her and through the tears in my eyes, I softly whisper. "Thank you for understanding what I'm going through."

Caroline laughs, opening her mouth to say something. But, the loud ringing above the door inside of Rosie's diner makes her eyes widen when she mutters out. "What the hell is Stefan doing here!"

"Stefan?" I question his name as he walks past us and I watch Caroline reach out to him, latching her hand on to his elbow. "Stranger! What are you doing here?"

His green eyes are warm, a bright smile is on his face and he's got his dark brown motorcycle jacket on, a dark pair of blue jeans and his work boots indicating that he must have just came here from the station. "Off work so soon?" I ask him, watching him slide into the seat beside me, stealing a french fry and popping it into his mouth before he replies.

"Yeah, I was just on my way here to pick up, Elena." He comments, like it's not that big of a deal. But, when I look over at Caroline. She looks stunned and he must notice the shock in our faces. "Shut up! You and Elena Gilbert!" Caroline blurts out as I give her a look and tell her to keep her voice down.

Stefan laughs, placing the helmet on to the table and placing his hands on top of it as he quickly corrects himself. "We're just friends."

"Sure you are. Isn't that what you used to say with Makayla too?" Caroline asks him teasingly as my foot nudges her underneath the table and she yelps a bit.

Stefan closes his eyes, shaking his head and exhales through his nose before he states. "Makayla and I were friends with benefits. Elena and I, are just friends. There is a difference you know."

Caroline scoffs, smiling widely when she places her hands over Stefan's and adds in. "We know the difference. One of them is just sex and the other is strictly friends. Although, with that other one..Somewhere down the road it'll get serious and you'll have sex, and feelings. And, it will get complicated. Even more so than then friends with benefits thing."

He looks over at me, raising his eyebrows as if to say "Are you hearing all this?" I nod though, laughing a little and placing my hand on to his shoulder. "Just, don't be stupid. Elena seems like a nice girl and knowing you. My boyfriend's little brother who is a very handsome little playboy and doesn't stay with certain girls for very long. You'll do something to sabotage your friendship with her if either of you get too close."

"Get too close to whom?" Elena asks with a smile, walking up to us and untying her apron. "I was going to stop by my mom's and change. But-." Caroline and I both turn our heads as Stefan gets up and winks at us, without having Elena notice it.

"Oh, it's nothing. So, Bonnie. Caroline. Elena will be seeing you both at the charity event this weekend. Maybe the three of you will get close with each other." He comments, placing his hand to fall to his side as he leans over and grabs his helmet.

"We should get going. I still have to make dinner and impress Elena. Anyways, see you both later." Stefan says, pivoting away from the table and walking out with Elena following behind him.

The moment they walk out of the diner together, Caroline gives me a wicked smirk. "We should make a bet. Have Tyler, Matt and Damon all join in."

I tilt my head to the side, smiling just as much as she is when I ask. "A bet on what?"

Caroline slams her hands against the table, once again leaning forward and whispering out her words with pure excitement. "Oh come on, Bonnie. We should make a bet to see how long it's going to take for those two hook up. I mean, unless Stefan's really changed from his breakup with Makayla. Knowing him, he'll be all over her by the end of the week!"

"After Makayla, I think Stefan's got a little smarter. Don't you think?" I ask her as she leans her head back, laughing hysterically.

"Sure he has, in a way. But, it's Stefan we're talking about. He's reckless and now, he's just met another girl. Who seems so nice, with a pair of better boobs and a better ass than his ex-girlfriend. Stefan hasn't changed at all. Just wait until he tries to go after her and it blows up in his face. Unless, she plays hard to get." Caroline tells me, rolls her eyes and grabbing another french fry from the basket in front of us and popping it in her mouth as she grins at me. "Just wait. Stefan trying to make a move on Elena is going to be an epic disaster. That is, unless he really has changed and has started thinking with his head."

* * *

**-Elena-**

"So, this is where I spend the other half of my time." Stefan comments, unlocking the door to his apartment as the door creaks open and I'm half expecting to be scrunching my nose at the smell of stale air and hitting my toes on empty beer bottles scattered across the floor. But, the moment we both walk inside and he turns the lights on in the hallway. I'm speechless. Because, everything inside of his apartment is perfect and spotless.

"Not what you expected?" He asks with a laugh, tossing his jacket on to a wooden coat rack near the door as he turns around and smiles at me, waving me over so that I can look at the view from his place.

"My uncle Zach helped me get this place. We don't have a great relationship. He's closer with my brother, Damon. But, he watched me to have something nice and so, the apartment was something we both agreed that I needed. Since, Damon and Bonnie had already moved in together. Zach thought that I should have my own place, so he's been helping me pay for it." Stefan explains, opening up the cream colored blinds that are covering up the sliding door. The light from the city below illuminates the room as he looks over at the light mocha colored couch and says. "Make yourself at home. I'm just going to go the kitchen and start making us dinner. Pick a movie from that stack over there." He tells me, pointing to the over 50 movies that are all lined up perfectly on this large bookshelf that also has a few of his personal pictures on it.

I can feel his eyes on me, watching me slowly walk over to the bookshelf, running the tip of my finger over the cherry colored wood. "I take it, you'd hate to watch a romance movie with me. After dinner?" I ask, hearing Stefan turn the running water on in the kitchen as he laughs. "I wouldn't mind it, as long as you promise me that you won't start crying and that it's not too sappy. I actually think Makayla left a few of hers here..Trust me, Dirty Dancing is not from my movie collection." He admits in between laughs. I turn back around, shaking my head and laughing with him.

"Anything you can't stand eating?" He suddenly asks as I make my way towards the kitchen, leaning my shoulder on the wall that leads into where he's standing, near the stove.

"Not really. I'll eat just about anything. As long as it isn't completely burnt." I tease, seeing him smile at me with a glistening in his eyes.

"I let them cook too long." He states, trying to defend himself as I walk over to him, smiling and standing beside him. "Well, since I'm a horrible cook. I can't say much. Although, whatever it is you have planned to make for us tonight. I just hope you don't overcook that too." He leans into me with a laugh, nudging his shoulder into mine as he playfully says. "Don't worry. I promise that this will taste a lot better than those pancakes. I'm making pot roast- something I'm really good at making." His prideful voice makes me smile as I take a step back, walking into the living room again. Leaning down towards the bookshelf, just about to pick out a movie for us when I blurt out. "I hope so."

* * *

He was right, it was delicious and I must have overeaten too much. Because, as the movie starts up and Stefan walks into the living room with a large plush and warm red blanket, I'm already half asleep on his couch.

"You look exhausted." He comments, covering up my chilled body with the warm blanket as he sits down beside me and places his arm over the top of the couch, his fingertips brushing against the tips of my hair.

"You look even worse." I reply back jokingly, turning my head to look at him. Neither of us are even paying any attention to the movie that's just started to play on the TV when Stefan leans towards me. We're so close that I can smell the mint on his breath, taking in the dark circles under his eyes that must match my own. And I'm pretty sure that he's suffocating from the amount of perfume that I sprayed on in his bathroom just a little while ago. But the smile on his face and the feeling between us,of what feels like a push and pull towards me- makes me stop to wonder if he likes the perfume or just sitting so near to me.

"I'm pretty sure that I do look worse. At least tonight I'm not covered in soot and dirt. Like I usually am after a long day at work." He tells me, smiling. I gasp a little when his hand slides off the couch and gently brushes against my shoulder.

"Sorry." He mutters out, watching my eyes follow his hand that's gliding down my arm, stopping near my hand.

"Stefan, I know that you just broke up with Makayla and I think you're just looking for something in me that you won't be able to find." I comment, noticing that he's frowning at me, giving me a perplexed look.

"You think that I want you as a rebound girl because I'm still heartbroken over my ex girlfriend?" He questions as I nod, seeing the glistening in his eyes fade.

"Elena, you're a breath of fresh air to me. You're beautiful, funny and not to mention a good friend. But, if I was an idiot and wanted a rebound girl to help me mend my broken heart over my ex-girlfriend. It certainly wouldn't be you." He must see my eyes widen as I back away a little, embarrassed by what I thought he wanted out of me.

"You're the type of girl that guys fight over because they want you with them for as long as they can. You're not a one night stand type of girl. I can tell. And, trust me- If I wanted a one night stand with someone. Don't take offense- it wouldn't be with you." He tells me, in a serious tone.

"I want your friendship and I don't want to ruin that. If we get to be more, somewhere down the line. Then, that's great. But, I don't want to ruin this by being stupid with you." He exhales heavily, watching me glance over at him with a small smile.

"Oh come on. I'm sure the moment you saw me. You thought about how easy it would be to get me in your bed." I retort back, hearing Stefan laugh as he bites down on his lower lip.

"I'm a guy. Of course I did. But, then I slowly started to get to know you. And, I want to keep getting to know you before we get to that point." He says with a serious look, watching me pull the blanket over my body, yawning.

"I should probably get back home. You probably have work in the morning and-." The feeling of his hand gliding across my heated and beat red left cheek causes me to momentarily forget what I wanted to say all together.

"Stay here. Just for the night. We can finish this movie and keep talking until we fall asleep. I don't sleep very well at night when I'm alone, anyways. Having someone here helps. I can even make you pancakes in the morning. One's that aren't burnt. And, I'll be a gentlemen and even sleep on the couch. You can have my bed all to your self." He offers, adding in that he has a few days off and that he's been hand picked by his ex-girlfriend's dad to set up for the charity event in a few days at the firehouse.

I don't know what to say to him. I don't even know what to tell him. But, all I keep thinking about is how much I don't want to deal with my mother and that maybe I am better off with him than I am at my mother's house just for the night. Although, the idea of staying over with Stefan, even if it's just for the night causes a few doubts. I clear my throat, nervousness is heard in my voice as I state. "I should go home and apologize for the other night to my mom." I reply, watching his face fall as he shrugs his shoulders back and nodding in understanding.

"Let me drive you home then." He says sweetly, pushing himself up off the couch as he waits for me to get up as well. I pause for a minute, looking up at him and then I utter out. "Just for the record and so that you know. You're a good friend too."

The beaming smile on his face widens as he offers me his hand and I take it, helping me get to my feet. Stefan quickly releases the grip he has on my hand, running his fingers through his hair when he says with a sincere tone. "I meant it. The other night, when we talked on the phone. If you ever need anything, a place to stay or someone to talk about things with. I'm here."

He watches me grab a hold of my jacket, my fingertips running over the smooth fabric as I softly reply. "I know."

* * *

"So, gossip travels fast. You and the fire fighter guy, huh?" Luke asks me the next morning the minute we step in front of the diner's doors and begin to unlock them for the day.

"We're just friend's, Luke." I comment quickly, brushing it off like it's not that big of a deal.

"Sure you are. Because, that's how all the normal relationships start. First he gets friend zoned until you feel the need to take him out of that pesky little area that most guys are dying to get out of. Then, you both develop feeling for each other. Then, after you two establish that..It all goes to hell!" He states bitterly as I pat him on the back, giving him a saddened look.

"It didn't work out well with Eric. Did it?" I ask him as he shakes his head.

"No, He left me." Luke says as he follows me, both of us walking back to the two registers that are behind the counter, making sure that they're ready for the day.

"Oh, Luke. I'm sorry." I'm genuinely saddened by the news. Because, I really did think that he had a chance with his boyfriend of a few months, Eric. And, without him knowing. I secretly thought that they were prefect for one another.

" Eh, it's okay. He wanted something different out of our relationship than I did. Anyways, tell me more about the friend zoned firefighter. I forgot his name." Luke comments, grinning from ear to ear as I watch him look past me, just when the doors push open and we both turn around as he smiles and states. "Good morning, Mr. hot stuff. We were just talking about you."

Luke glances over at my face. It must have gone pale at the sound of his familiar voice and his laugh that makes my stomach have butterflies when he simple says. "Good morning to you too, Luke. Haven't seen you in a while."

"Well, that's because Elena over here has been hogging you all to herself lately. Isn't that right, sweetie?" He questions as I feel my throat go dry and all I'm able to whisper out are a few words, while looking down at the mud I tracked in with my converse shoes. "Oh no, it's not who I think it is. Is it."

Luke nods, smiling his perfect pearly white smile at Stefan. "Oh yes, it is and he looks good." I feel Luke nudge my shoulder as I look over at Stefan when he adds. "Look who it is, Elena. Don't be rude."

I close my eyes tightly, inhaling and realizing that I feel so damn exposed, trying to calm my nerves just at the sight of Stefan.

"Stefan, what are you doing here? You're disrupting my work." I mumble out with a rough tone, taking my notepad out of my apron as he looks around the empty diner and sits down in one of the chairs right across from me, his green eyes intently keeping track of my movements.

"You don't look too busy to me. So, I'm sure that last statement was a lie. And to answer your other question. I need your help. I was going to ask Caroline or Bonnie to help me. But, I can't reach either of them on their cell phones. So, I came over here to ask you." He explains as my eyebrows lift and I glance over at Luke.

"I don't get off work until later in the day. And, then Luke and I were planning on going out." I lie to him, hearing Luke huff out a breath and speaking up loudly from somewhere in the back.

"She's lying! We weren't going to go out at all. Elena, the poor guy came all the way over here to ask you. So, help him." He interrupts as Stefan smiles at me and then over at Luke who walks back behind the counter with a stack of plastic clear drinking glasses.

"So, it's settled. You'll help me?" Stefan asks as I open my mouth to reply and once more, Luke interrupts. "Of course she will. Elena loves helping people. So, aside from dancing around your feelings like you both are clearly doing right now. You both have that in common too."

I watch Stefan point to Luke, laughing when he says. "I like this guy. He's pretty funny."

I roll my eyes and lean my elbows against the counter top, placing my face into my hands when I hear Luke sigh before adding in. "I like you too. And, don't worry about her not showing up. I'll make sure of it. I'll drop her off if I have to. Elena will be there, at your place or wherever you need her."

"At the firehouse." Stefan tells us as I finally lift my head up and see Luke's gleaming eyes and his face light up with excitement. "Great." He states when Stefan sits silently as we both hear the phone ring and he answers it, giving us a moment to ourselves.

"You didn't come here to ask me for help. Did you?" I ask him as he taps his hands against the table and smiles a cheeky grin.

"Not really. I actually came here to see you again. I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I said to you the other night. And, for the most part I meant most of it. But-." I cut him off, swallowing the lump in my throat and lifting my hand up in the air to stop him from going any further.

"But, what?" I ask as he sighs out a breath, clearly nervous.

"I like you, Elena and I want you as a friend. But, I also want to see where this goes between us and, I think we should go on a date." He explains as I pause, opening my mouth to reply and shoot him down. Although, Luke butts in just in time as he grabs my arm and pulls me back into the kitchen, telling Stefan to excuse us for a minute.

"What are you doing! Don't you dare tell him no." He hisses out as I narrow my eyes on to him, crossing my arms over my chest.

"And, why shouldn't I?" I ask him with an agitated tone as he shakes his head.

"Because, if you did. That would just be cruel. Elena, that guy out there who is trying really hard to get out of friend zone that you threw him in. You might not see it. But, I do. He likes you! And, honey, if you haven't noticed. He really is interested in you. So, go out on this date with him and get to know him more. Going out on a date doesn't mean that you're going to marry him after the first one!" Luke exclaims as I heavily exhale.

"You don't get it, Luke. Do you? I like the friendship that he and I have. And, if I start going out with him. Feelings will get in the way. And, what if he breaks my heart?" I ask as I watch Luke take a step towards me, licking his bottom lip, obviously frustrated.

"I'll be there to help you pick up the pieces. Just, take a chance- because, I highly doubt that he'll take no for answer." He says with a laugh, turning me back around and marching me out back behind the counters. Where Stefan's still sitting, drinking a cup of coffee and reading something on his cell phone.

I hand him a menu, watching his eyes scan it as he stops and places it back down with a smirk. "I forgot to say that I won't take no for an answer. So, I'll see you later today and we can talk about it some more. Thanks for the coffee." He states, turning the swiveling seat so that his back it to me as he gets up and smiles over his shoulder. "Luke's right you know. Going out on a date with me, doesn't mean that we're going to get married after the first one. For all we know, it might make us realize that we'll never work out in a real relationship."

"You heard that?" I ask Stefan as he laughs, shrugging his shoulders and leaning forward, grabbing a hold of my hand and running his thumb over the top of it before I watch him lift my hand up towards his lips, leaving a soft kiss against the top of it.

"I heard most of it. And, he's right. Take a chance on me, Elena Gilbert. I might just prove you wrong." He says, releasing my hand and leaving me awe struck as he leaves the diner, turning back to smile at me once more before he says once again. "See you in a few hours."

* * *

"Have fun with him." Luke winks at me, dropping me off in front of the station as I glare over at him.

"This was all your doing." I state coldly as I grab my purse, feeling Luke grip a hold of my wrist as he stops me from stepping out of the car all irritated.

"Don't act like you don't want to spend more time with him as much as he wants to with you. He has other friends and yet, he came over this morning just to specifically ask you for help. He obviously likes having you around. So, enjoy it. Call me or text if he takes you home." Luke comments in an annoyed tone as I shake my head.

"Fine." I reply, getting out of his car and walking towards the firehouse, hearing Luke's car peel out in the parking lot and leaving me in front of the building.

I slowly walk towards the entrance, pulling the doors open and walking inside. The firehouse is nearly empty at this time of night, I notice as I confusing walk through the halls, in search of someone who can tell me where Stefan is. I'm too busy texting my mother and telling her that I went to go help a friend with a project to even notice the thin, chatty cathy blonde that's walking down the hall at the same time as me and chatting with a friend on her cell phone. I'm just about to add into the message to my mom that I won't be home until late when we crash into each other, both of us falling to the ground with a loud thud.

"Watch it!" She shouts, pushing herself up and dusting herself off as I get up too.

"I am so sorry. I didn't see you at all." I tell her with an apologetic tone as she glances at me and sighs. "It's fine, just watch where you're going next time." She says bluntly.

She brushes past me, shaking her head and rolling her eyes as I watch her start to talk on her phone again. But, my comment stops her in her tracks and makes her drop the cell phone in her hand to her side. "I was actually looking for someone. I was hoping that you could tell me where he's at. His name is Stefan Salvatore. He works here."

Her pissed off expression changes so quickly that I'm taken back by her reaction when I mention Stefan's name. "Oh, I know Stefan. I know him, really well." She says sarcastically. Giving me a dirty look as I hear her snap her fingers together.

"You must be my replacement." She states, pointing to me.

"Replacement?" I question.

"Oh, he hasn't said anything about me to you? How rude of him. Well, let me introduce myself then. I'm Makayla. Stefan's ex-girlfriend. And, honey. Let me warn you right now just in case no one has already and you do become my replacement. Stefan only wants to have fun right now. He might have told you all that crap about being just friends. But, take it from someone who knows him better than anyone- it's all an act. Trust me, all you'll ever be to Stefan is a notch on his belt buckle. Until, he's done with you. Then, he'll leave you. Just like he did me." She says with a threatening tone, extending out her hand with a wide blue eyed grin as if she's trying to ice over the fact that she's jealous or something.

I shake her hand, releasing it quickly as I hear that familiar sound of his boots hitting the ground and my stomach tightens. Makayla's wickedly mischievous smile widens when she says."Oh, speak of the devil! Look who it is. Stefan, my handsome ex-boyfriend!"

"Makayla, leave her alone." He says in a rough and low voice, watching as she rolls her eyes, spinning a strand of her hand in between her fingers when she laughs. "I was just introducing myself to this girl here, will you relax."

"Leave. Now, Makayla." He tells her as she runs her hand over his chest before walking away with a wink. "Fine. But, trust me. I won't be far away when whatever you have going on with her becomes too much for you to deal with and you need a release from all that stress. You know where to find me."

The instant that she leaves us standing in the hallway, I hear my voice shaking as I ask. "So, that's your ex-girlfriend?"

He nods, looking embarrassed when he places his hands into his pockets and adds. "Whatever she said to you. Just ignore it. She's a liar." He points out.

My softly spoken voice is firm and a little agitated by my run in with her and my feelings for him. Meeting Makayla has suddenly opened my eyes to lots of things and one of them is making me doubtful that a friendship is all that Stefan wants from me when I state simply. "Don't worry, Stefan. Makayla just told me what I'm trying to protect myself from when it comes to you."

He scratches his head, asking me out of curiosity. "And, what are you protecting yourself from when it comes to me?"

I shake my head, giving him a half smile as it quickly fades and I respond rigidly. "That's a simple answer." I pause, crossing my arms over my chest. Looking him directly in the eyes as I state. "I'm protecting myself from becoming more than your friend and my heart from getting broken by a guy that would hurt me the minute I gave him the chance to do so."

"That's what you think that I'll do to you? That I'll hurt you without a second thought?" He scoffs at my words, shaking his head before he continues. "Elena, I'm trying to be your friend. I'm trying to gain your trust. But, you're making it hard on me by not trusting what I'm telling you. I'm being honest and telling you the truth. I like you, Elena. I like you so much so that I don't want to ruin this by being foolish with you. I made mistakes with Makayla, I made a lot of them. But, I swear that if you just give me the chance. I'm not going to make the same ones with you." He stammers out his words, his eyes are glazed over and watery as he exhales heavily and speaks once more before I can even open my mouth. "Please, just trust me. Don't listen to what Makayla says to you. She's just jealous and pissed off at me for all the mistakes I made with her. Truthfully, I don't blame her. Because, I'll admit without shame that I was an idiot. To be honest, I still am a pretty big idiot and I'm still screwing up. But, I'm trying to change."

He hears me inhale, noticing me giving him an apologetic look when he adds. "Elena, you can protect yourself from me as much as you want. But, eventually we both know that you won't be able to do it for long and all this fear you've built up. All these doubts that you have about who I am or what my true intentions are. They will all come crashing down. And, it's going to take some time for you to open yourself up to me. I know that and that's what I'll be waiting for. But, sooner or later you're going to recognize that I'm not as bad as you think I am. And, that I want to take this slowly with you because you could be the best thing that has ever happened to me."

* * *

**A/N: The tension between Stefan and Elena is killing me...ugh, stop being silly you two and hook up already. :p**

**Please feel free to review. I love reviews and they make me extremely happy! :)**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	10. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Before all the events that took place in "One and Only." Stefan Salvatore was a reckless New York City firefighter that only cared about his job. That's until he saves the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Nine**

**-Damon-**

_Engine. Ladder. Battalion!_ The alarm and sirens blare into my ears as I open my eyes. "God damn it. Shut up!" I grumble under my breath, rolling off of one of the bunk beds as I hear Tyler chuckling near the door. "You know, maybe if she sounded sexier we'd like the overhead siren more." He states, throwing me a brand new dark blue shirt as he pushes his shoulder away from the door frame.

"Have you seen Stefan? I know he has a few days off. But, usually he's lingering around here. Unless-" I cut him off, pushing my exhausted body up from the bed and glaring at him. I barely slept last night because I got called in and now when I look at the clock and realize that it's only 6:45 in the morning, I'm irritated even more.

"Unless Makayla got to him first. You know, I told her to leave him alone. That in my eyes, Stefan only cares about himself and that he's done with her. But, I guess that since she hasn't heard him officially say it that she's still thinking they're together or something." I admit to Tyler as she shrugs his shoulders.

"That girl is a pain. But, you know we have to put up with her since she is the Chief's daughter." He adds, walking further into the room and sitting down beside me. The look on Tyler's face makes me worried.

"What's going on with you? You look stressed." I point out, watching him look down at the ground at his scuffed up black boots when he places his face into his hands, not saying a word for a long time until my own shoulder nudges his. "Come on, Ty. I've known you long enough to know that something's wrong. So, what is it?"

He exhales a shaky breath. "Caroline. It's Caroline, Damon. She wants to be a police officer and a mom and-." My hand on his shoulder, squeezing down tightly stops his words.

"She's your wife and you love her. But, Tyler..It's Caroline's life. She should be able to do what she wants for a career. I mean, she worked at the diner for awhile. Busting her ass as you did here too so that you both could start your lives together. She did it all because she didn't want her mom to be burdened by you guys and she wanted you both to have your own place. So, I think that if Caroline wants to be a cop. Just, support her in it." I advise him, watching him look at me just briefly before looking down at the floor again and inhaling a heavy sigh.

"It's just, that job. It's dangerous and if something were to happen to her. Damon, I never be able to forgive myself. I can't even.." His voice trails off when my hand moves off of his shoulder and I place it in into my lap.

"You don't think that she thinks the same thing with you and being a firefighter. Tyler, we put our lives on the line every single day. Every job has some danger to it. It's just this and that happen to have a high mortality rate. Although, you can't go into any of these jobs thinking you're going to die every second of every day or night. Because, if you do that- then maybe you're not cut out for it. So, my advice is let her do it and stand by her side. Just, like she has been doing for you." I explain, pushing myself up and looking down at him as he locks his eyes up to me.

"You're right." He states. It's like a light bulb goes off in Tyler's head as he gets up and nods. "You're right. She's been supporting me since day one. And, now for me to give up on her just because I don't agree with her job choices. It's not fair."

"Glad I could help." I reply back with a smile, watching Tyler nod at me.

"We should go out to dinner, the four of us. We could make it a double date." He suggests, a hopeful tone in his voice when I look over at him.

"I'd like that. I'm sure Bonnie would like that too. Since, it seems like I've been driving her crazy lately." I comment, hearing Tyler laugh, slapping my back as he stands beside me.

"Yeah, I bet you have. Tonight after work. Let's all go out." He comments with a smile, watching as I nod at him and smile. "Yeah, sounds good. I'll call Bonnie later and tell her."

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"I'm on break and thought I'd call. I miss you." He says, I can picture this beaming smile on his face. All the guys from the firehouse crowding behind him as he calls me just to see how I've been doing.

"What are you wearing?" Damon asks in a suggestive tone, trying to be cute with me as I laugh out loud at his attempt.

"Damon! I miss you too. But, I'm not telling you what I'm wearing. You'll just have to wait and see." I comment, sinking down further into the warm hot bath that I've been sitting in for the last few minutes since he called me.

" What a tease! God, I hope you're naked right now." He mumbles, sighing out a breath when I look down at the bubbles in the bath tub. "Yeah and I wish you were home."

"So, I'm right? You are! This shift needs to hurry up!" He exclaims, heavily breathing before he adds in. "Tyler and Caroline want us to join them on a double date. Sound good?"

I love Caroline and I love Tyler. I really do. But, all I honestly can't wait to do when Damon comes home is be with him. So, the idea of going out with our long time friends kind of irritates me. However, I know from experience that whenever you say no to Caroline Lockwood that she makes you feel slightly guilty. "I'd love too. It'll be fun." I lie to him, giving my best fake smile and thanking god that he isn't home to see how fake it is plastered across my face.

"Great. I can't wait to let him know." Damon tells me, saying that he needs to go and that I should wear something sexy tonight for dinner. I hear the phone hang up and the blaring of the dial tone in my ears as I lean over and put the phone down on to the ground, sinking back into the warm bathtub as the bubbles cover my bare shoulders and I exhale, blowing them away from my face. Tonight's going to be fun- I know it will be. But, It's not what I was hoping for at all when he called me and now, I'm left feeling just a little disappointed.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"You want to talk about yesterday night or are we just going to ignore the things I told you?" I ask her, turning around to see Elena glance over at me. Her hands are in her lap. She's got a pair of dark blue sweat pants on, a tight white t-shirt and her hair is in a messy tight bun. Her makeup is light and natural and as I lock my eyes on to hers. The only thing I can think about is how beautiful she is without even trying.

"I don't want to talk about anything. We talked yesterday. Besides, you called me this morning and asked me to come with you to do your laundry. So, here we are- about to do laundry at a laundromat." She states, placing her hand on to the passenger side door handle of my truck, ready to get out of the car and clearly wanting to avoid the conversation I know that we should both be having.

"No, Elena. I talked yesterday. I told you that I like you. That I want to go on a date with you and that you could be the best thing that has ever happened to me. If you'd just give me a chance. And, you didn't say much of anything, at all." I reiterate my words as she leans her head back into the seat, shifting her eyes to look over at me again.

"And, I am giving you a chance. I'm spending time with you and being your friend, Stefan. Why don't we just enjoy the fact that I'm here and that I'm spending time with you." She explains, huffing out a breath and opening the car door before I can add anything else. I follow her, grabbing my bags full of dirty laundry and hers as well as Elena watches me lock the truck.

"So, your ex-girlfriend. She seems pleasant." Elena comments suddenly, our hands brushing against each other when I hand her the bag full of her laundry, watching when she stops in front of the building and looks up at me.

"She's not. Makayla and I never worked." I tell her flatly, seeing her smile at me and walk into the building, stopping completely near the front door as we both look up.

"Shit, it's my brother and his girlfriend." She mumbles under her breath, turning back around and accidentally hitting against my chest. Her cheeks turn red when I hear her add in. "What's he doing in here?" She asks me as if I know the answer.

"Washing his lights." I comment with a smile, seeing her brown eyes glare at me as her body stiffens and my hands mindlessly rub up and down her arms. "You should go and say hi." I say, turning her back around before she can protest and shoving her out towards her brother. I smile even wider as she trips over herself a little, right in front of him.

"Elena! What are you doing here?" A bright eyed, very athletic and brown haired young man wearing a New York Police Department sweatshirt asks as he walks over to his sister and embraces her tightly. I watch from a distance, putting my bags full of dirty laundry on a wooden rusty looking table and starting to unload them.

"Mom's washer and dryer broke at home and so, I came here with..." She pauses, turning back towards me and licking her lips as I smile up at her brother and his girlfriend, waving at them both. "With a friend." She explains. I watch Elena shrug her shoulders, shifting her feet from side to side and I don't know what the hell compels me to walk over to them. But, I drop my blue t-shirt on the table and slowly make my way over anyways.

My hand rests gently against Elena's shoulder as she flinches at the feeling of it and looks up at me with wide brown eyes. "Stefan, this is.." Her voice gets caught in her throat and right before she can finish her thoughts. I already have my hand extended out, leaning forward a little and grinning. "You must be Elena's brother, Jeremy."

Jeremy smiles widely, shaking my hand with a firm handshake and locking his eyes on to me. "And, you must be my sister's friend that I've never really heard anything about." He comments, smirking just a little and stepping out of the way to introduce his girlfriend, Anna.

"It's so nice to meet you." She says with a beaming smile, pushing a strand of her black hair behind her ears as she lets go of my hand and steps over to Elena, hugging her and telling her that it's been a while since they'd last seen each other.

"I'm Stefan. You probably haven't heard a lot about me. But, your sister has said some really nice things about you." I add in, watching the serious and protective look on his face disappear as he nods at me.

"It's nice to meet you, Stefan." He says, patting my shoulder and stepping away from me, back to Elena as I turn away from them all when I hear my cell phone ringing in my pocket. I softly mouth to Elena that I need to take the call before stepping outside and leaning my back against the building wall a feet away from the front entrance.

"Getting sick of spending all your time with that brunette girl, yet?" Makayla asks me. For some reason, I can picture her at the firehouse, sitting cross legged on her work desk as she talks to me- attempting to be flirty.

"Actually, you know what I'm getting sick of Makayla?" I ask her, hearing her giggle into the phone, probably batting her eyelashes and leaning into the desk some more while talking to me.

"What?" She giggles out.

"You. I am getting and tired of you! Damon told you that we're done. That, you should let me go." I comment with agitation and irritation in my voice, hearing her laugh again.

"Oh come on, Stefan. We both know that he's just jealous of our relationship. He and Bonnie barely have sex and you and I...We did it all the time." She states in a matter of fact tone with another laugh as I lean my back against the brick walls of the laundromat building and close my eyes, huffing out a breath. I promised myself that I'd let her go, that I'd stop trying to get back together with her. Because, we're toxic and because ever since I met Elena, something inside of me has changed.

"That's all you and I were ever good for. You know, why don't you and Matt go out and have a good time." I suggest, listening her sigh out an unhappy breath. If I close my eyes tightly enough, I can see her pink pouty lips turning into a frown.

"But, I don't want him. I want you." She says with a serious tone as I roll my eyes, wanting more than anything to end this conversation and go back into the building to spend some more time with someone who is nothing like my annoying ex girlfriend.

"Well, we're never going to happen again. I've moved on and you should too." I tell her, placing my hand on to the 'end call' button as I softly hear her reply before the line goes dead. "Oh, we'll see about that."

I'm pissed off when I walk back into the laundromat, realizing that Elena's brother and his girlfriend must have left while I snuck out to talk on the phone.

"My brother said that he wants to see you again. He's interested in the guy who his sister's been spending all of her time with." She tells me with a giggle, a large mound of laundry in her arms as she puts it all in the washer and turns back to me, leaning against the washing machine. "Where did you sneak off too anyways?"

I shake my head, trying to brush the question off. But, if there's one thing I learned about Elena while hanging out with her- it's this- she's super persistent when she wants to be and she doesn't let things go very lightly.

"I got a call from Makayla." I tell her honestly, watching her sit on the bench beside us, tucking her knees towards her chest as she places her arms on top of her knees, lowering her chin on top of her arms and giving me that sad puppy dog look. "Oh, is the ex-girlfriend jealous that you got a new friend?" She teases with a smirk.

"She wants me back." I confess, turning away from Elena, feeling her swat my arm playfully.

"You're kidding! Really? If you were mine, I would never let you go." She declares with a loud laugh, causing me to smile widely and turn back to her.

"So, you'd be like a stalker?" I ask her, turning just a little to watch her cover her mouth with her hands, laughing so hard that her face turns beat red and I swear I can see her eyes get watery.

"No! I meant that-." I cut her off, shaking my head and playfully throwing a clean shirt at her. "Don't worry. I get it. If we ever dated, you'd be a stalker. Then, I'd be asking you "Why you so obsessed with me?" My head snaps up when the last people in the laundromat leave and it's just the two of us, Elena laughing and me making fun of her.

"I didn't mean it that way. I just meant that you seem like the type of guy that's worth keeping around, even when things get tough." She explains, running her hand through her hair and exhaling, trying to catch her breath.

"Right, sure. You're just saying that because you're obsessed with me." I tease her, fixing the collar of my shirt and popping it up with a smile as she gets up and opens the dryer. Elena pulls out a towel of hers and throws it at me.

"I'm not!" She exclaims, shaking her head and putting another load of her dirty clothes into the washer. I watch her put the quarters into the machine and start it, sticking out her tongue at me like a small child.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you that sticking out your tongue to someone is rude?" I ask her, smiling as she cross her arms and grins. "Nope. My mother was too busy getting drunk, Remember."

The smile on her face fades as I watch her take a seat in front of the washer and dryer, watching the clothing spin around. I huff out a breath, putting a few extra quarters into the laundry machines next to hers as I sit down beside her. We're both silent for a moment and it doesn't take long for the teasing between us to stop before it switches to a more tense and serious atmosphere.

"So, do you still want to go out on that date with me. Or, am I too much of a jerk for you?" I ask her with a little bit of a laugh as she suddenly leans her head against my shoulder, looking up at me through heavy lids. "Of course I do. It's just, what's going to be to happen if we run into Makayla. I mean, from the sounds of you. You two haven't really officially broken up. Have you?"

I close my eyes, tilting my head to look at her. "Elena, her and I are done. I promise and I'll make sure that we don't run into her. Besides, I highly doubt that this could even count as a date. To be honest, I wanted to ask you about helping me with my sponsor." I explain as she lifts her head and gives me a confused look.

"Sponsor?" She asks.

"Yeah, you know how I said that the charity event at the firehouse that we host, is for kids?" I watch as she places a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, I remember."

"Well, there's this kid. That I've been sponsoring, since he was a baby. His dad is an old friend of mine and his family knew me as a kid. After Damon and I moved out and away from living with Zach. Sean's family helped us for a bit until we got on our feet. And, when I heard the news about his own son having cancer. I knew I had to help them. Alexander is 6 years old. He's just a little kid who wants so badly to be a firefighter one day. Just like his dad." I inhale through a locked jaw as I think about Alex with his bright brown eyes and jet black hair, so full of life yet. He's been dealt such a tough blow already.

"I'd love to meet him. This friend of yours and his son." Elena says sweetly, placing her hand on to my shoulder as she looks over at me and I nod, turning my head to lock my eyes on to her.

"Sean's son is really sick and he's a single dad who works with us. Recently though he hasn't been able to work for a long time. So, that's why we're trying to raise money. For him and for all the other kids and families at the same hospital with sick kids just like Alex." I explain further as Elena nods at me, gripping my shoulder just a little.

"That's very sweet of you. Doing that for your friend, Sean and his son." Elena says.

"Yeah, it's the least I could do. His family helped Damon and I out a lot when our parents died. And they helped my Uncle raise us. So, I guess this is my way of paying it forward." I tell her, seeing her smile.

"So, when can we see him?" She asks me with gentle brown eyes, backing away from me and removing her hand from my shoulder as I run my own hand through my hair.

"Um, today actually. I already called Sean and he's expecting me in about 3 hours from now." I tell her as she nods. "Oh and I already told him that I'd be bringing a friend." I add in, watching as Elena gives me a surprised look and pushes away from the bench.

"Great, looks like I'll need to go change and then, where should I meet you at?" She asks.

"The firehouse. I'll wait for you there." I tell her.

"Okay." She comments simply, going back to waiting for the laundry.

"Elena?" I question her name, watching as her brown hair sways back against her shoulder when she smiles at me.

"Yeah?" She asks, seeing my face turn to complete seriousness.

"If you were mine. I'd never let you go either." I reply with a straight face. Hearing her laugh and not long after, I'm cracking up right along with her. Teasing her has been the best part of my day so far and I love that she plays back. Elena smirks, leaning forward towards me when I hear her hiss out a few inches away from my ear. "Stalker!"

* * *

**-Elena-**

Walking out of the hospital, I can't help but point out my observations after visiting and meeting both Sean and Alex. "You pinky promised a little kid today that we're going to end up together." I say out loud, climbing into his truck as Stefan smiles at me, huffing out a breath and watching me buckle up my seat belt.

"I know, it was all in good fun though." He replies, pausing for a moment as he waits to speak. "Elena, Alex doesn't have long. The type of cancer that he has is aggressive and Sean told me that his son's got a little less than a few more months to live." He informs me, starting the truck and looking away from me so that I don't notice the tears building up in his eyes.

"I want to help him and his dad as much as I can. Sean's family helped Damon and I out so much when we lost our parents that I guess, helping raise money for them is my way of thanking them for everything they did to us. Sean's like my second brother too." He tells me, heavily inhaling a deep breath as he wipes away the tears in his eyes, apologizing to me about getting so emotional over Alex's situation.

"You don't need to apologize to me. Listen, let me help at the charity event and I can even help raise money at the diner for him and for Sean. Stefan, it's obvious that Sean and his son mean a lot to you. So, let me help out as much as I can." I convince him, leaning over and taking his hand away from the steering wheel, lacing our fingers together and giving them a gentle squeeze.

'You'd do that for him?" He asks me as I nod.

"He's your friend and you're mine. And, it's the least I could do for you." I reply back, feeling his thumb glide over the top of my hand, watching his head turn so that he's facing me.

"Thank you." He remarks softly as I give him a gentle smile. "You're welcome." I reply, locking my eyes on to him and noticing that he has a tear still dripping down his face. Stefan clears his throat. His eyes are still on me as I take my other hand and wipe the tear away with my thumb, leaving my fingers against his skin a little too long because he leans forward a little more and looks at me. I can feel his breath dancing across my face, I can see the worry in his green eyes and watch his nostrils flare up as he takes another deep breath.

"You're a good friend, Elena." He says in a sweet tone as I stare at him, not daring to look away from the intense and heavy green gaze that he's looking at me with.

"You're a good friend too." I tell him with sincerity in my tone as I feel his hand release mine and he grabs a hold of the one of his cheek. Stefan's soft fingertips trace the lines on my palm. And before I can say anything. He leans into my hand on his cheek and leaves a kiss against my wrist. "I mean it." He chokes out with a sad smile on his face, letting my hand go and turning forward again, beginning to drive.

"So, you hungry?" He asks me suddenly, breaking the silence between us. I should be getting home and calling Luke to see if we can go out. But, the saddened look on Stefan's face changes my mind and I'm drawn to him.

"Yeah, what did you have in mind?" I ask him as he shrugs.

"Oh, I don't know. Let's just drive around town until we find someplace that looks decent enough to eat at." He suggests.

"Sure." I comment softly, looking out the window and watching the hospital fade out away from view, leaning my back into the passenger side and sighing out a breath. I want to stay here in the comfortable silence between us, stealing glances from each other for as long as I can.

* * *

"Stefan!" They all shout out the moment the two of us step inside of the diner. We could have gone anywhere to eat, anywhere at all. But, for some reason this place is the most familiar and according to Stefan, it has the best food around tone. Personally, I think he's lying.

"What are you four doing here?" He asks, tapping his hand on the table where Damon, Bonnie, Tyler and Caroline are all sitting around.

"We didn't know where else to go. So, we ended up here. Eating and catching up on the latest gossip." Caroline winks at me as Tyler gets up and tells me to sit down. I turn back to see him giving Stefan a look when he smiles just a little.

"So, what have you two been doing all day?" Damon asks, eyeing both Stefan and I up and down as I chime in.

"We went to go see Sean, a fireman friend of yours?" I question as I notice all of their faces drop a bit and both Tyler and Damon look as if they've been slapped in the face.

"How's Alex doing?" Bonnie quietly asks, tapping her hand against the table and looking over at Caroline.

"Not good." Stefan replies sadly, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"You know, Sean was really happy to see us though. I honestly don't know how he does it. All he has in this world is Alex and...After, Monica left him. I just-." Tyler cuts him off, handing Stefan a beer.

"Yeah, I don't know either." Tyler says, looking around the table at Stefan and then to Damon as they raise their drinks up and softly announce. "To Alex, one of the bravest little kids we know."

"To Alex." Bonnie and Caroline state, hearing me cough out a breath. "I want to help too. With Alex and Sean. I want to help them as much as I can. So, tell me. What can I do?"

They all look at each other with smiles on their faces as Bonnie suddenly says. "Why don't we organize a car wash for their family along with the other stuff. Bring in as many people as you can. Caroline can even talk to her mom and see if maybe someone at the police station can help too."

I see from across the table when Tyler and Damon give each other a look and a grin. "Will the three of you be washing cars?" They ask in unison, hopefulness in their tones. Caroline rolls her eyes, throwing a crumbled up napkin towards Damon that bounces off the table and lands right in front of Tyler's empty plate.

"In your dreams, boys. We will be putting all of you to work. Right, Elena?" She asks me, throwing me out of my stare that I have at Stefan. He's got his elbows on his knees, his hands are clasped under his chin and this content, relaxed expression is on his face.

"Yeah." I comment softly, hearing Bonnie giggle out. "All of you shirtless is like a dream of ours. Well, more so of mine. But, you know. I'm sure these two don't mind it either."

"Is it now? Well, I'm sure that we can make some dreams come true." Stefan says with a smirk. I can't help but laugh too as I feel Stefan's eyes on me again when he leans over and whisper's against my ear. "Do you want to go somewhere else, a little more private?"

I swallow the lump forming in my throat as he yawns, casually lifting himself up out of his seat when he looks at everyone and says simple. "Elena needs to be here early and I'm going to drive her home."

"Oh come on! You two just got here!" Damon argues, glaring up at his brother and smiling at me.

"I'm tired too. Have to start setting up for the event this weekend and in between I have training with Patrick." He explains, shaking hands with both Tyler and his brother who look really pissed off that he's ditching them this early.

"I'll see you all tomorrow." Stefan tells them, waving me over as I glance back to see them all giving each other confused looks.

"Are you sure it's okay that we're just leaving like this. Damon's right..We did just get here." I point out, feeling Stefan's hand on my shoulder as he smiles at me sweetly and says. "It's fine. Besides, I've wanted to spend some more time with you alone all day long. And, I think I've got just the place. But, we're going to need to make a quick stop."

I tilt my head to the side, pushing the heavy glass door to the diner open when I ask him. "Where?"

He smiles and I can hear him begin to unlock the truck. "You'll see. But, first how about we go get dinner somewhere else and wait for the sun to go down."

"Why?" I ask him, hearing a small laugh as he shakes his head. "Has anyone ever told you that you ask a lot of questions?"

"Lots of times. But, I'm curious where we're going" I reply back, walking over to the truck as he glances at me and says. "Trust me, Elena. All you need to know is that it's going to be fun and worth your while."

* * *

It's an empty field. More specifically it's an empty baseball field in the middle of a residential neighborhood and I watch him curiously as he parks the truck near the curb of it, grabbing a few blankets from the back seat.

"What you did today. Giving Alex that fire truck as a gift. It was really nice." He comments, pulling the blankets forward as I sit with the Chinese take out that we just bought, feeling the warmth of the boxes against my bare skin.

"It's not that big of a deal. I just wanted him to have something special and the fact that he already had a blanket with the fire departments ranks on it was pretty cute." I tell him, looking up at the darkened night sky and still wondering what we're even doing here.

"I come out here to think a lot. Mostly, when I've had a bad day or a hard one. This neighborhood used to be where Damon and I grew up." He says, opening the driver's side door as I do the same on my side and he locks the truck behind him.

I lean against his truck, the warmth of the engine radiates off my back while I watch Stefan walk over to a fairly darkened spot on the open field, a spot where most of the baseball field's lights aren't illuminating the grass and we'd be able to see whatever it is that he's brought us out here for in the middle of the night.

"So, will you tell me what we're doing out here, out in the dark?" I ask, placing the bags of food in front of me as I walk over to him and he finishes spreading out the blankets, glancing up at me with a smile on his face. Stefan tosses two small pillows down and takes his boots off, sitting cross legged on the ground. He pats the empty space across from him as he says. "We're having dinner together and we're looking out at the star's, Elena. I guess you can consider it our first unofficial date."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

"What was that all about?" I ask Tyler and Damon, watching Damon throw a French fry at my husband. The limp golden fry falls to the ground and just as I bend down to pick it up, her red designer high heels smoosh it into the ground and her annoying voice fills the air.

"Have any of you seen Stefan?" Makayla asks us, her bright blue eyes are full to the brim with hope.

"He just left. You just missed him." I comment coldly, glancing over at Damon and seeing the irritation on his face as he gets up and excuses himself from the table, looking over his shoulder and asking if any of us need anything. "Wait, I'm coming with you." I mumble out, following Damon to the checkout counter up front.

"What the fucking hell is she doing here! I told her to stay away from Stefan!" He exclaims, angrily slamming his fist against the counter top table as my eyes grow wide and I take a step back. He's angry and for as long as I've known Damon Salvatore, I've known that getting on his bad side is a place that you certainly don't want to be on.

"Damon, she's just here to stir up trouble. You know that Stefan doesn't love her anymore." I reassure, trying to calm him down as he pinches the bridge of his nose and huffs out a breath.

"I really hope he doesn't. You know, that Elena girl that he's been hanging out with- she seems good for him." He tells me as I smile widely, nodding.

"Yeah, she does." I agree with a grin.

"Stefan needs someone like her to keep him in check. She certainly isn't crazy Makayla Murphy." I jokingly tell Damon as he relaxes a little and places his hand on to my shoulder.

"So, how are you and the husband doing?" He questions, taking a seat on my left side, patting the other one with his hand for me to sit beside him.

"We're good.." My voice trails off as he shakes his head.

"That's not what I've been hearing." Damon quickly declares.

"Damon, it's complicated." I try saying, trying my best to change the subject but Damon won't let it go.

"It's not complicated, Caroline. It's a mess. Just, give each other a break." He advises, patting my back and leaving it there for a minute as I smile at him.

"Yeah, sure. Did he tell you that we talked to his mother the other day?" My question lingers in the air for a minute as I look back behind us and notice that Makayla is now sitting with Bonnie and Tyler, talking up a storm- most likely talking all about herself and not allowing them to say a word.

"Yes, actually. I would have loved to been a fly on the wall for that therapy session." He jokes, nudging my shoulder.

"It's not funny, Damon." I scold him, my face going serious as he's still smiling, inhaling through gritted teeth.

"It is a little bit." He comments with a gleeful expression, placing his hand on to my shoulder and watching my face fall. "Hey, I'm just kidding with you. Honestly, it's not funny."

"I want to be a mom, Damon. I want to have a family and I want to have a good job. What's so wrong about wanting it all?" He looks down at his clasped hands, before looking over at me again and speaking in an understanding and nonjudgmental tone.

"Give it time, because that's all you can really do. And, there's nothing wrong with wanting it all. I mean, Bonnie and I could easily have it all if I didn't work so damn much." He admits, looking up at me.

"Do you ever think that it'll get easier?" He stops himself for a minute, thinking about his words before he exhales deeply and replies. "Caroline, from here on out..Our lives are just going to get harder. Although, you need to know something." He says as I give him a perplexed look.

"What?" I ask, swinging my legs away from the counter top and looking back at Bonnie and Tyler who are joking around with each other now that Makayla finally left.

"No matter what happens. We're always going to have each other." He stated in a knowing tone, pulling me into a sudden embrace and kissing the top of my head. "We're all going to have easy and hard days, Caroline. But, at least we have each other."

I acknowledge his words, bowing my head and smiling over at him before I slip off of the seat and walk back to the table. "You're right. You know, I couldn't imagine my life without you or Bonnie in it."

His beaming smile makes me grin widely when he catches up to me and wraps his arm around my waistline, pulling me close. I can smell the beer on Damon's breath when he whispers. "And, I couldn't imagine my life without you or Tyler."

"I know." I comment, watching Tyler get up and give Damon a worried look.

"What were you two talking about?" He asks as Damon and I glance over at each other with smiles on our faces.

"Oh nothing, honey. Damon was just telling me all about his man crush on you and how he can't imagine living his life without you." I explain, seeing Tyler step over to Damon and hug him, placing a kiss on his forehead, causing Bonnie and I to be doubled over from laughing so hard, each of us clutching our stomachs.

"I love you too, man. I love you too!" Tyler announces, wrapping his arm around Damon as he kisses his cheek and we hear Damon grumble out. "Yeah, you love me right now. But, the moment that god damn siren at work goes off in the morning for a call. We'll see how much you love me as your working buddy!"

"Let's get you home." Tyler says to him, gesturing to Bonnie and I who are sitting next to each other, wiping the tears from our eyes.

"You two should do a calendar spread. You know, I heard a few years ago that all the fire houses in New York City did this really sexy fireman issue." Bonnie teases as I begin laughing even harder.

"Yeah, could you imagine. 'Hey, Patrick..Tyler and I wanted to ask your permission if the guys and I could take our shirts off and maybe a little more clothing, for charity.' That sure would be an interesting conversation." I blurt out in between trying to catch my breath and wiping tears from my eyes.

"That, is an amazing idea! We're going to do it. This Saturday." Damon chimes in, grinning from ear to ear and slinging his arm over Tyler's shoulder. "Right buddy?"

Tyler shakes his head, looking at him. "You're not serious."

"I may be a little drunk. But, I am dead serious, Ty. While we're washing the cars. I mean, Bonnie did say that having us all shirtless is one of her dreams. So, why not?" Damon offers, a sudden serious tone in his voice, as if he's really considering it.

"Children are going to be there, Damon." I point out as he waves his hands up in the arm, nearly losing his balance and latching on to Tyler for help.

"Ah, well. Then we can do it before they show up." He states loudly, winking at Bonnie.

"This weekend is going to be great!" Damon shouts with a glistening in his eyes as he leans into Tyler and pulls my husband back into his embrace. "Won't it be great!"

I watch Tyler awkwardly nod at him, shaking his head at me and sighing out a breath. "Yeah, it's going to be great, Damon." He tells him, signaling for us to leave before Damon's drunk mind comes up with anymore ridiculous ideas.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews make me happy. So, please feel free to leave one with your thoughts. :)**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	11. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Before all the events that took place in "One and Only." Stefan Salvatore was a reckless New York City firefighter that only cared about his job. That's until he saves the life of a young waitress by the name of Elena Gilbert. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: You guys are so amazing. 81 reviews and this story is just starting! :') I really do love you all. So thank you so much for following, reviewing and favoriting. It means so much to me.**

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**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Ten**

**-Elena-**

His nose scrunches up in disgust as I spit into my napkin. "What did I just eat?" I ask him, seeing Stefan cover his mouth with his hand, shaking his head and laughing.

"Sushi. I think." He chuckles, leaning his weight against his elbow some more as I smile at him. The wind is calm tonight and the humidity is kicking in for the usually warm fall season that we're having.

"I hate raw food, seafood, sushi. Makes me feel like I'm eating them alive." I point out, tossing my crumpled up napkin into a small white grocery bag beside me as he continues to laugh.

"Sorry, if I had known that, I wouldn't have ordered it for us." He states, clearing his throat and becoming serious. We've been sitting out here for hours, talking about anything and everything. Laughing and just being blissfully happy together. That's until I see his face and the change of subject makes me a little uncomfortable.

"What's the best memory you have of your father?" He asks me suddenly, causing me to freeze in place. I haven't thought about dad in a while, to be honest it's been a few weeks. He is always in the back of my mind though. I guess it's because I'm worried that he's looking down at his little girl and shaking his head at the mistakes I've made, like moving in with my mother once again.

"When I was 6 years old. My dad took my brother and I to this little lake house in Virginia that he inherited from his parents. My mother eventually sold bit and took the money. But, he taught us both how to fish there. It was just the three of us, laughing and having a good old time. We both fell asleep when he built a bonfire and I remember him reading us a bedtime story almost every night up at the house." I've got tears in my eyes as I talk about him. It's too painful even now. However, talking with Stefan about my dad is somewhat comforting.

I sniffle a little, blowing my nose with an extra napkin in front of me before I ask. "What about you? What's your favorite memory of your parents?"

He pauses for a minute, smiling widely as he remembers, his own eyes a little glazed over. "My parents bought me and my brother this dog. A little scraggily 1 year old Golden Retriever named Lucky." He says, looking down at his hands . "Well, Damon and I took him on a walk one morning with my dad. Lucky got loose from the leash and took off. We searched for hours in my dad's truck, crying about how we needed to find him."

"So, did you. Find, the dog?" I ask, watching as he inhales sharply.

"Nope. We never did. Damon and I were devastated. Never had another pet before. But, I love dogs. Always wanted another one." He adds in, looking up at me as I feel a small rain drop fall against my bare arm, rubbing it away with my hands.

"We should go, before it starts raining even harder." Stefan recommends, getting up to his feet as he extends out his hand to me, his smile never once fading away.

"I want to stay, just for a bit more. Tell me more about your family." I comment. Stefan runs his hands through his hair, closing his eyes tightly and exhaling. I can see the pain on his face without even asking him what's wrong.

"Maybe another time. Look, I don't really remember much else. Elena, it was a long time ago and I was just a little kid when they died. I don't really like talking about it." He says, brushing it off and extending out his hand to me once more, tilting his head to the side.

"Okay. So, we won't talk about it then." I quickly reassure him, taking his hand as he pulls me to my feet and I stumble forward, crashing into him again. A nervous laugh leaves my lips as he brushes a strand of my hair back behind my ears and caresses my cheek with the soft touch of his fingers.

"I'm a klutz."I smile at him, taking a step back when he takes a step forward. My eyes close, unintentionally as his finger slips underneath my chin and my eyes look down at the space between us. We're so close, I can feel his heart beating against my own and I'm sure he's fairly amused by how close my chest it to his.

"So am I." He remarks with a smile, his thumb grazing my already heated skin when he leans forward and watches me close my eyes. His breath smells like mints, spearmint gum or something like that. Because, the closer he gets to me, the more nervous I am as we breath each other's air. I feel his other hand wrap around my backside, pulling me closer as the rain drops begin to increase and just when our lips are about to touch...

It happens.

The ringing from Stefan's work cell phone goes off and he opens his eyes, staring at me. His hand still placed on the middle of my back. "Sorry." He mumbles under his breath as I heave out a deep exhale. It was a close call between us, a very close call.

"This is Stefan." I hear him answer, shaking his head and laughing. He glances down at his bare feet, looking back at me as I remember that our shoes are still where we had been sitting just a little while ago.

"Yeah, I'll be there soon." He states quietly, hanging up his cell phone and clearing his throat.

"That was my buddy, Matt. My boss wants to speak with me. I guess he's still there doing some late night paperwork and he's been trying to get a hold of me all day. He's pretty pissed off." He explains, running his hand through his hair, licking his bottom lip before looking up at me.

"Elena.." His voice trails off as my voice cracks when I reply with a simple. "Yeah?"

"About earlier-." I cut him off, shrugging my shoulders. "We got caught up in a moment, it happens. And, it won't happen again."

Stefan lets out a small laugh. "Yeah, it won't." He replies, shaking his head as he leans down to grab his boots and the blankets. Stefan watches me put our empty cartons of food in a white grocery bag, tying the bag tightly.

"I'm just going to drive you home, okay?" He asks me as I lock my eyes on to him, nodding.

"Okay." I comment, walking beside him in silence as his arm brushes up against mine while we walk straight to the truck. And, I start to feel it. That electricity between us, that push and pull in the pit of my stomach that I've been ignoring for weeks now.

"So, is your mom going to be home tonight?" He asks in a worried tone as I shrug my shoulders back. I haven't seen her in a few days and the thought of being home alone tonight sounds perfect. I can write quietly in my journal...I can write about him.

"She might be. But, I'll be fine." I comment, watching as he nods, quickly fixing his eyes back on to me.

"If you need anything, Elena. Anything at all tonight or any other night. Don't be afraid to call me." He says with a sweet and sincere tone as I smile back at him, softly replying. "I will. I promise."

* * *

The days go by quickly and I can't stop myself from thinking about him. Even at work, I seem too distracted.

"You sad that he hasn't been in here for a few days? Your fire fighter lover boy?" Luke jokes, rushing past me with a plate of hot pancakes as I lean against the counter, turning my back around and sighing out a breath. Luke eyes me as I crumple up my apron. "I'm going on a break." I announce, grabbing my purse without him even questioning me.

"Alright, be back in 15!" He reminds me as I nod, exhaling deeply and taking out my journal as I step out of the diner, taking a seat near a bench that's near the busy street. I put my headphones in my ears as I listen to Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone". The music blares when I open up my journal, making a crease in the paper before starting to add a few more sentences into it from the entry that I had wrote last night. My hands stop after a while the moment a bundle of six red roses falls down on to the table beside me and I glance up to see Stefan standing on the other side with a beaming grin. "Hi." He says sweetly.

He watches me take my head phones out, not even wanting to hide my smile or my giddy expression at how happy I am to see him standing there, right in front of me.

"What's this for?" I ask, pointing to the flowers on my right side. He's wearing a track suit, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he exhales and takes a seat beside me, the strong sun beating down on the both of us and causing warmth to fill my body.

"I forgot to buy you flowers last time that we were together. So, I was in the neighborhood at a park with the guys, doing a training exercise and I thought I'd stop by to surprise you with these. I know it's not much. But, the vender I bought them from, said they were fresh." He informs me, leaning forward to look at what I'm writing. I watch him frown when I quickly shut the journal and place my arms over it, looking back up at him.

"You are just full of surprises, aren't you?" I ask, that goofy grin still never leaning my face.

He nods. "Yeah, I am. Pretty lucky I caught you while you were sitting out here though. I would have been embarrassed walking in to the diner with just 6 roses in hand." He tells me before getting up again, unlocking his truck that's parked on the curb. I get up too, walking over to him as he out stretches his arms, like he wants to hug me.

"To be honest, I've missed ya." He tells me with an truthful tone, watching as I step forward, into his embrace without even thinking as I feel him exhale deeply once my head rests against his shoulder.

"I missed you too." I reply with a voice that's just above a whisper, wrapping my arms around his waistline and feeling his hands run up and over my chilled arms. We stay like that for a while before Stefan kisses the top of my head and I take a step back, cheeks red and heated from being so close to him again.

"So, are you still coming to the charity thing?" He asks me as I nod. "Yeah, of course I am."

Stefan locks his eyes on to me. "Good, because I want you there. Just, make sure to wear something not too skimpy." He jokes as I huff out a breath.

"Don't worry, I'm not that type of girl." I turn back around towards the building, hearing him tell me that he needs to get back to work.

"Be safe." I comment over my shoulder, seeing him lock his eyes on to me. "I always am. I'll see you on Saturday." He reminds me, watching me walking back to the diner.

"I'll see you then." I reply, smiling as I bring the roses up to my nose and inhale deeply, the feeling of joy rushes through me and it feels like the smile I had when I saw him is plastered permanently across my lips as I push open the door to the diner and walk back inside, thankful that Luke and Rosie are too busy with a group of customers to even ask me why I'm so happy.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"Move a little to the left and flex your biceps." Matt instructs, sighing out a breath and pursing his lips together. We've been trying to take our own pictures for the calendar spread with his camera and he's clearly unpleased by my unwillingness to take my shirt off.

"Just take the damn thing off." Damon shouts, walking into the locker rooms as he watches me lean my hand up against one of the locker doors.

"Hey baby. Take it off, Salvatore. Take it all off!" Tyler cat calls me in between his loud and obnoxious whistling, walking up to us with a white plain shirt around his neck, this gleaming look is in his eyes as he sits down on a bench just a little ways away, lifting up his phone and snapping a picture of his bare chest.

"Are you sexting your wife?" Damon asks in a not too surprised tone, clutching his stomach as he lets out a loud laugh. We all freeze in place as we hear a heavy set of boots approach the locker rooms and Patrick makes an appearance too. His eyes are wide, he's glancing down at the floor, not looking at any of us.

"Will you four put your damn shirts back on, act like the respectful men you are and go outside to help out with that car wash we organized?" He orders, watching as we all begin to file out of the locker bays. He stops me though, with his hand being firmly placed on my shoulder.

"Not you. I need to talk to you." He says with a gruff voice, making me take a step back, forcing me to sit down on the edge of one of the benches in the room.

"What's going on, boss?" I question, fidgeting nervously in my seat. Patrick must sense it as he rubs his face with his hands, leaning one of his hands against a closed locker door.

"Do you take this job, seriously?" He asks me as my eyes shift up from my glance I have on my hands that are in my lap and on to his eyes, nodding. Of course, I take this job seriously. It's the only thing that I ever wanted.

"Yes." My reply is quick and sharp as he pats me on the shoulder, inhaling deeply.

"Good. Because my daughter is claiming that you haven't been taking it too seriously and have been goofing off too much while you're here, in an attempt to make her jealous. She says you've been flirting with the other staff." He pauses, shaking his head. " Listen to me, Stefan. I don't care if the two of you aren't together anymore. I just wish you'd be more respectful and consider that Makayla really loved you and that she's still healing from you breaking things off with her."

Patrick pivots on the soles of his boots, turning away from me and sighing. "Just make sure to remember that when you see her today." He says with a firm tone. And, with that he leaves the room.

I sit there for a while, leaning my back flatly against the bench, hitting the back of my head gently against the wood of it. "God damn ex girlfriend!" I curse under my breath, feeling my cell phone rattling in my pocket, taking it out and reading the text message that I just received.

_Where are you? I'm not wearing anything skimpy. But, I can't say the same for your ex-girlfriend, Makayla. She keeps asking your brother if you're here. Remind me to accidently splash her with the water hose. ;)_

I smile and laugh out loud at Elena's words, pushing myself up just in time to hear her shrieking voice filling the room. "Stefan? Are you in here?"

"FUCK!" I mumble out, getting up and trying to hide behind the other side of the locker room bay.

"No one better be in here. Because, I'm coming in. Stefan? Where are you?" She shouts out louder, as I hear her flip flops hit the ground and she walks down the locker bay where I'm trying to hide from her. "It's now or never." I softly whisper, running my hand over my face before stepping out from behind my failed hiding spot.

"Makayla." I comment flatly, watching her face light up like a little kid at a candy store.

"There you are! Oh my god, I am so glad that I found you." She says, batting her long dark brown mascara covered eye lashes at me. I puff out my chest, trying really hard not to roll my eyes at how hard she's trying and how pathetic she sounds.

"What's going on?" I ask her, trying to play it cool.

She takes a step forward, running her hand over my chest. I'm biting the inside of my cheek, watching her hand slip off it as she stops her hands just above my belt buckle. "Oh, nothing. That brunette girl that is pinning over you looks like she's deseperate outside in her t-shirt and cropped pants."

"So what? Not everyone is as revealing as you." I point with a harsh tone. My voice not hiding the fact that I'm quickly coming to Elena's defense.

Makayla scoffs, turning her back towards me and shaking her head. "You like her, don't you!" She shouts loudly, making me close my eyes and inhale through my nose.

I like her. I do and it's pissing me off that Makayla is trying to be a rude to Elena.

"It's none of your business if I do or I don't. That's my business." I pause, pushing past her and out of the room, stopping near the door. "And, the next time you go and bitch and complain about me to your father. You should remember that whatever happened between us, is our private life and that we're over. I don't want you back, Makayla. To be honest, I'd like it if you found a new place to work so that I can work here in peace. Without being harassed by you."

* * *

"There you are!" Elena smiles, her lips forming a small frown as she sees the stress that Makayla caused me, riddling my face.

"She got to you first, didn't she?" Caroline says, tapping me on the shoulder and rolling her eyes, throwing a glare in my ex-girlfriend's direction.

"Yeah, she did. Listen-." Caroline cuts me off, waving Bonnie and Damon over.

"What are you doing?" I ask, giving her a confused look.

"Oh, nothing. Just going to have a little fun with our annoyance of the week." She explains, smiling at me and wrapping her arms around me. "How about you and Elena go stand over near the grill and make sure that Matt and my husband aren't making us burnt hamburgers." Caroline suggests as Elena nods her head in that direction, looping her arm around mine as she smiles back at Caroline and Bonnie.

"Wait." She says, backing away from me for a minute and taking out her phone, taking her shirt off and revealing her light blue stripped bikini top. My heart's pounding hard against my chest, my mind stops thinking for a minute as she tosses her shirt back behind her on a chair.

God, she's gorgeous.

"Ugh, it's too hot out here. Sorry." She says, glancing down at her white shorts that are accenting the curves of her hips. I inhale sharply. I have no idea what the hell Makayla was talking about because Elena looks really...I don't even know, Hot? Nice? Yeah, she looks nice.

Elena sighs out breath, looping her arm around mine again as we walk towards a large oak tree that has a bench underneath it, the shade covering the open space as I take a seat and she does too, right beside me.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to walk out here." I comment, watching as she locks her eyes on to me, looking back at the car that Caroline, Bonnie and Makayla are washing. I can hear in the distance as Caroline shouts. "Oppsie, I'm sorry, did I just get your eyeball. I was aiming for your chest." When the green garden hose in her hands slips out of them and squirts Makayla in the face.

"Ugh. You bitch!" She shouts, shaking her hands off from the excess water and wiping her face with her hands, dropping the soapy filled yellow sponge in her hands. "I'm done with all of you! Have fun doing this stupid event alone." She screams in an overly dramatic tone that makes a few people turn around, watching her run back into the fire house.

"She's over dramatic." Elena observes, making me laugh.

"You have no idea." I comment quietly, hearing footsteps coming towards us as Damon walks over, casually crossing his arms over his bare chest.

"Well, your crazy ex-girlfriend just left. Sounds like for good or at least until she gets over the fact that Caroline just embarrassed her in front of all of us. So, we need the two of you for this next car." He explains, pointing to Elena and I.

She looks over at me with a smile. I catch her staring at my chest as she points to the shirt, a flirty gaze in her brown eyes. "You should take that off. You know, don't want it to get wet or dirty."

I shake my head, biting down on my lower lip as I playfully point to her white shorts. "And, are you going to keep those on or take them off? You know, it should be a fair trade. I take my shirt off, you take your shorts off." I tell her with a flirtatious glance.

Elena laughs, getting up and undoing the button to her shorts. "Fine, there are children here, Stefan. But, if you insist." She tells me, unzipping them and sliding them down her tan skinned legs. I hold my breath, I swear I do as she slips out of them and folds them on the table, looking over at her really fast before she catches me staring at her blue and white stripped binki bottoms that fit her perfectly.

Elena sits down on the bench, crossing her legs and grinning at me. I watch as she leans into me with a smirk when she says in an encouraging tone. "Now you. Come on, take it off."

I inhale sharply, getting up and crossing my arms over my chest as I grab the hem of my t-shirt and slide it off my upper body. Her mouth gapes open as I toss the shirt on the bench in front of us, the same way she did with her shorts.

"Better?" I ask her, watching her face redden.

"Much better." She comments with a shy smile, grabbing a hold of my arm and pulling me with her towards the awaiting car that's parked in the parking lot.

* * *

**-Damon-**

"Are they dating?" I ask, leaning into Bonnie and whispering it into her ear as she looks up at me and places her hand against my cheek, the thin fabric of her pink shirt hugging her stomach as she takes a ice cold water bottle off of the table.

"Who?" She asks, opening it up and taking a sip as I place my hands against her head, turning it just slightly to get a better view of Elena and Stefan who are scrubbing at a light blue colored Volvo sedan. Laughing and bumping into each other.

"Not that I know of." Bonnie says with a shrug of her shoulders.

My lips purse together as I take a seat beside her, continuing to watch them.

"He likes her though, you know. I can tell he does." I blurt out, hearing Matt scoff at my words when he joins us at the table, placing a paper plate with a freshly made hamburger on it.

"Stefan likes every girl that looks like that." He states, licking his lips and clearly checking Elena out.

"No he doesn't." Bonnie retorts, placing her elbows on to the table that the three of us are all sitting at.

"Yes, he does. Look at her. She's giving him the time of day and he's soaking it up for all it's worth. Even if they are dating, I highly doubt it's anything serious." Matt replies, continuing to eat as Bonnie and I turn back to watching them, turning away and acting like we weren't when we see Elena run up towards the table, Stefan following just a few feet behind her.

Elena smiles at us all. "Well that was fun." She laughs, looking back at her as Stefan appears behind her, picking up his camera from a bag beside Bonnie and I.

"I want to take a picture to remember this." He says with a beaming smile, turning it towards Elena as I laugh when she shoves her hands in front of her face.

"No, not one of me. I'm sweating and all gross. My makeup is melting off." She complains, trying to hide behind Bonnie.

"Come on, just one. You don't look that bad. Actually, you look." Stefan pauses and before he can finish his thought, Matt interrupts him.

"You look beautiful." Matt tells her with a grin.

Elena turns towards him, giggling out a little laugh. "Thanks." She says, taking a seat beside me and patting the small empty space near her so that Stefan can take a sit down. I watch as he smiles at her, pointing the camera at her face again when she finally gives him a sweet smile just in time for him to take a picture, telling her that he wants it as a reminder of her.

"I'm starving." She blurts out as Stefan looks around the table, noticing that there aren't any more paper plates.

"Um, let me go get some plates and we can go get some food." He tells her, getting up as I watch her gently place her hand on to his arm, shaking her head.

"Tell me where they are and I'll go." She retorts.

Bonnie and I turn our heads as Matt wipes his face with a napkin and gets up, waving his hand at her. "I'll show you." He smirks. "Come with me."

* * *

**-Matt-**

"So, you and Stefan. Are you two like an item?" I ask her, trying to scope out her reaction to my question as her hands gently tap against the stainless steel table that she's leaning on.

"We're friends." Elena comments, looking down at her tan colored flip flops and red painted toe nails. She's nervous around me and I ease up a bit as I smile at her.

"That's good. After a disaster of a relationship Stefan had with Makayla, it's good that he has you to be there for him. Everyone needs a friend." I tell her, searching the cabinets in the cafeteria for the plates, glancing back at Elena.

"You know, he was going to marry her. They were pretty serious at one point." I watch her eyebrows raise at me, her voice is small and soft when she speaks. "Really?"

"Yeah. They've been dating since he was 18 years old. Part of me thinks that he stills loves her." I tell her, Elena glances at me with a surprised facial expression, clearly uncomfortable with the way our conversation is going.

"He says, he doesn't." She states. "Love her anymore." She finishes, biting down on her lip and crossing her arms over her chest, tapping her foot nervously against the tiles.

"I'm sure he's just telling you what you want to hear. Elena, if you think that Stefan is this guy who will be faithful to you if you two end up in a relationship. I suggest you look elsewhere. All he cares about is two things, this job and trying to make his ex girlfriend jealous, with someone like you. Because, frankly. You seem like you'd just that easy to use." I tell her, watching her face fall as we both turn around and hear someone clear their throat. My eyes move upward to see Stefan with his arms crossed, a pissed off expression on his face.

"Elena, will you excuse us. Matt and I need to have a word." He says, taking a step towards her as she brushes past him, not even looking at him when he gives her an apologetic look.

The moment Elena leaves, he shoves me up against the cold stainless steel refrigerator door, slamming me against it a bit with his arm pressed upon my chest and his green eyes blazing with fury. "What are you doing! Filling her head with lies about me already?" He shouts angrily.

I chuckle, pushing him off and lowering my gaze to the ground, staring at my boots and letting out another laugh. "I was just telling her the truth. Will you relax."

Stefan's face contorts with irritation as he slams his fist against the table, causing a loud echo. "Makayla and I are done! Don't you get that! We are over and I never want to be with her again. Damn it, Matt! You and your stupid mouth, running around and spreading lies about me. Now, I have to go apologize for your stupid remarks!"

He watches me close my eyes, leaning near where the sink is at as I look up at him after a few minutes of tense silence. "I'm just saving the girl from you breaking her heart. It's better for her to know you're a waste of time now. Before, it gets too serious."

Stefan's teeth are clenched together as he huffs out a breath. "Stay out of it." He warns with a glare.

I let out laugh. "It's not like you care about her. Stefan, she's a replacement for your ex-girlfriend. Why not just end it before feelings get all mixed up and blurred."

He's pissed off as he turns to storm away, pointing to me as he shouts in a loud infuriated way. "You're wrong. I care about her, Matt. I care about Elena. So, I'm trying everything I can to protect her from people who could harm her."

"Like who? Me? You've already claimed her for yourself, Stefan. I'm not touching her." I reply back, seeing him pivot back towards me, deadlocking his eyes with a seething attitude and near death stare in my direction when he exclaims.

"Yes, people like you! Matt, you're a good guy. But, you'd never be good enough for her. Because, you're destructive and that's not what she needs. Plus, for god sakes. She's not a piece of property. She's just a young woman who could use a friend." He tells me as I watch him take the stack of 10 paper plates into his hand, his angry leaving him tense as I lean my back against the counter in the cafeteria all alone with my own thoughts and how I'm going to make Elena realize that Stefan isn't as great as he really seems to be.

* * *

**A/N: Well, Matt is officially on my shit list. Right along with Makayla!**

**Anyways, feel free to leave me a review with your thoughts and suggestions as to what you would like to see as the story goes on. :) I love suggestions!**

**Thanks so much for reading.**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	12. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Hey all! I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading, reviewing and following this story. It's going to get pretty intense from here on out. So, hold on tight! ;)**

**Enjoy!**

**Follow me on twitter to chat about my stories at: BePassionate_24**

* * *

**Before** **You Were Mine- Chapter Eleven**

**-Elena-**

"Elena, wait. Hold on!" I hear him shout after me. His footsteps become closer and I swear that I scan the room for a place to hide.

"Will you stop walking for a minute and talk to me!" He exclaims, extending out his hand as it brushes against my wrist and I feel myself spin around, hitting against a door. I watch as his eyes lift so that his green gaze isn't staring at me. Instead, his vision is deadlocked on the door that I'm pushed up against. Just inches away from him. "Let's go in here and talk, privately." He suggests, watching as I look up to see that it's labeled supply closet.

I take a step back, watching him push open the door as he pulls me inside, turning the light on above our heads. The space is small, we're just inches apart from each other and if he were to move just a little bit closer. Stefan and I would be standing chest to chest.

"I'm sorry about Matt. He has no boundaries and no filter sometimes. Whatever he said to you, I'm pretty sure he's lying." He explains, lifting up his hand and gently brushing a few strands of my hair from my cheek. He smiles as I inhale sharply, staring right at him.

"Stefan, you were in a relationship for 3 years with her. Those feelings just don't go away over night. You two were going to be engaged." I point out, feeling the back of my arm brush up against one of their uniforms that's hanging on a hanger behind me.

"I know. But, I don't feel anything for her anymore. Her and I weren't good for each other and I checked out of the relationship a year ago. She's the one that still wants me back. But, I've made it very clear that I don't want her anymore. Makayla and I are done. I swear to you, that her and I are over." He tells me, hovering his hand over my cheek, pursing his lips together.

"How am I supposed to believe you?" I hear myself question him. His back is turned to me, his shoulder tense up as he coughs out a breath. "Because, I'd never lie to you or to myself. I know what I want, Elena. And, it's not her." Stefan states, turning back around to face me. He steps in front of me, smiling as I struggle for words. My mouth opens, words fail me though as he cups my face into his palms and leans forward. My eyes close to his touch as his thumbs stroke each of my cheeks and I feel his breath tickle my face.

The kiss is sweet, his lips are moist and warm as he kisses me, gently. Stefan arms wrap around me back, pulling me forward and I can hear him grunt out a noise that makes me laugh a little when my arms wrap around his neck and pull him closer, allowing his tongue to slip into my mouth. I can't breathe, it's like we're breathing the same air as he holds me in his arms and my mouth places more pressure against his, deepening the kiss. Our bodies stumble backward, knocking over some of the supplies in the closet as he hoists me into his arms and turns us around. I laugh when his hand slides down to the waistband on the back of my shorts and the touch of his warm palm against my cold back causes me to shiver.

But, just as quickly as the heated kisses from Stefan's lips descend down my neck, sucking and scrapping his teeth against my flesh. A loud and deep male voice is heard over the intercom system at the station. "Stefan Salvatore. Please report to Patrick Murphy's office immediately."

He pulls back, kissing me slowly and lowering me to my feet as his thumb brushes against my bottom lip while he speaks sweetly. "I owe you another really romantic redo of this."

"St-." I close my eyes, exhaling deeply and cursing myself for not being able to use my damn words. I'm speechless. Unsure of what to even say as he smiles at me and strokes my beat red cheeks. "I promise, next time this happens between us. It's not going to be in a supply closet." He jokes, turning on his feet as he licks his lips. "I want you. In case I didn't make that clear. But, I don't want to rush into this until you're ready, Elena. So, it's up to you if you want the same thing. Let me know, I can wait." Stefan replies, opening the door and straightening his shirt out as he nods at me.

"Call me whenever you want. Remember that." He says over his shoulder, taking one more good look at me before he leaves me in the small room, heaving for a breath and trying to regain my speech and calm my foggy brain from what just happened. My back leans against the wall, clutching my chest and finally catching my breath. "Damn, he's a good kisser." I mumble out loud, shaking my head and laughing a little as I wait a few minutes to leave the room.

The minute I step out into the hallway, I hear Caroline's voice echoing from down the hall. "Elena!" She shouts, running after me and placing her hand onto my shoulder. I glance up at her, flitching a little as I feel her hand firmly grip on to me.

She looks me over, smiling with a curious gaze in her blue eyes. "You have sex hair and is that a hickey on your neck?" She questions, crossing her arms and giving me that scary motherly look. You know the one your family gives you when they know you've been up to no good? Yeah, that one!

I scoff, placing my messy hair in front of my neck while a nervous laugh leaves my lips. "A hickey? Oh, Caroline. You must be seeing things. I was just...I just...I..." I inhale deeply, fumbling over my words as she shakes her head.

"You were making out with someone, Elena. Don't deny it!" She exclaims, looking around the empty hallway before leaning forward and asking in a small voice. "Who was it? Everyone here is pretty much taken and married except for...Oh my god!"

Caroline pauses, her blue eyes widening as she declares. "It was Matt? Wasn't it?"

Matt? Seriously? What the- I barely even know the guy. I mean, he hit on me once when we were at the bar and he was drunk. But, that's about it and-. My mind is racing as Caroline interrupts me. "No, no. Wait, it's not Matt. You're blushing. And you only blush when you're around Stefan."

The mention of Stefan's name makes my heart beat quicken and I try to place it off like it's not him either by crossing my arms over my chest. But, my fidgety stance gives me away completely. "You and Stefan!" She nearly shouts out loud, making me tell her to keep her damn voice down.

"Oh, just wait until I tell Tyler, Bonnie and Damon. Oh my god!" Caroline says in an excited tone, pursing her lips together as I glare at her.

"You can't tell anyone about me and him. Caroline." I comment with a warning tone, grabbing a hold of her hand and locking my eyes on to hers, whispering. "We just got caught up in a moment. It didn't mean anything." I try to clarify.

She inhales through gritted teeth, grinning. "Honey, that's what I used to say when Tyler would drag me into the school bathrooms in high school while everyone else was in class, to make out with me and fool around a bit. But, we both know that it always means something."

My eyes close as she stands beside me, pulling me into her side and looking me over with a sweet smile plastered across her lips. "I won't tell anyone. When you two make it official and figure out your feelings for one another. Just to let you know. I will be your little cheerleader. Elena, he needs someone like you in his life and I think the two of you would be good together."

Her arm unravels from mine as I give her a small smile and shrug my shoulders back. "So.." My voice trails off, hearing her shuffle her feet as she says. "We should go out tonight. Bonnie and I have pretty much accepted you into our little circle and she wants to spend some more time getting to know you. So, it should be a girls night and the two of us can tell you all about Stefan Salvatore."

I place my arms to my side, tilting my head. "The two of you?" I ask as she nods.

"Yeah, over drinks and some really good food. Come over to my house. Here's my number and I'll text you the address." She tells me, rummaging through her purse and pulling out a pen as she writes her cell phone number down on to my hand and then backs away, adding in. "7:30. Be ready and I'll see you tonight. We have lots of stories to tell you about him." She winks, walking away without another word and leaving my head reeling when anticipation about learning as much as I can about Stefan.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"Patrick, you in here?" I knock on the door, watching it pushes open just a little when I hear his voice chatting away with what sounds like someone else on the phone. The room is small and filled with plaques and certifications. Achievements that the firehouse and someone of the guys have made. Also, on one side of the wall hangs four pictures of the men we lost in a fire, just a year ago. One of them being Damon's older trainer and close friend.

"Salvatore. Come in. Sit down." He announces bluntly, keeping his eyes locked on to mine as I take a seat across from his desk, watching him flip open a file on the oak colored desk and glance down at it. Patrick clears his throat, closes the file and places his hands on top of it.

"Our firehouse has been dispatched to help with the growing need of firemen to help contain the forest and brush fire in the Adirondacks Mountains." He declares, making my stomach churn from the inside out. We're not equipped for that sort of work. We're a small fire house on the upper east side of Manhattan. We just don't have the resources, I know that for sure.

"How many of us are going and when?" My voice cracks as I ask the question. I've heard stories of firemen dying because of the intense situations and mistakes they've made in fires like these and I'm scared to death.

"A few of you. I have a roster already set up with your names. You guys will be joining Firehouse 57 as well. They're a bigger station with a lot more resources." Patrick informs me, noticing the nervous way my hands are gripping the arm rest against the chair that I'm sitting in.

"Son, you better man up because if you think that this isn't for you. Tell me now." He states, glancing me over and hearing me exhale. I want this to be my career, I want this job to be my life and at this point, I'll do anything to prove to my superiors that this is certainly where I should be. So, that's why I blurt out. "No, this is where I want to be, sir. Trust me. I'll be fine. First one in, last one out and never leave your brother behind." I quote, some stupid old saying that Damon heard when he was in the academy and always tells me whenever I feel like I look terrified about going into a blaze.

"Good. I'll be seeing you at 0500." He tells me, watching as I push up off the chair and nod at him. Being back here at 5am in the morning to get ready to go makes me queasy. But, I shake it off quickly as to not make him see how scared I am.

"Great, sounds good. I'll see you then." I reply back, turning my body towards the door and stopping near it for a minute. I turn back around, watching Patrick going back to doing paperwork as I ask. "Chief, how many days will we be gone?"

"You'll get a few days off. But, we'll be working from sun up to sun down for most of the time. The firemen in that particular area selected us for a reason, because I have some of the best young men on my team. Stefan, there are homes that are being destroyed by this fire and people's lives are in danger. So, our jobs aren't done until it's contained." He explains, waving me off as I nod, feeling the nauseating pit in my stomach return as I think about how I'm going to tell Elena that I'm going into a very dangerous situation and that I have no idea how bad it really is.

* * *

"Elena." I yell out across the parking lot after I leave Patrick's office, watching her turn around.

"Good thing you yelled out after me. I was just going to go back home. Caroline asked me to go out with her and Bonnie tonight." She explains, smiling at me as I watch her hand slip into a pocket of her gray tote bag that's slung over her shoulder.

"I, um..I wanted you to have this." She says, pulling out a small picture of herself as I watch her lay her palm flat and she writes on the back of it. "Don't read it yet. Maybe when I walk away, then you can." She instructs, inhaling deeply and tucking it into the front pocket of my shorts, patting it down at she looks back up at me and glances around. It's just the two of us. Her and I, standing in a parking lot near the station as the sun begins to go down.

"I'm glad you, Caroline and Bonnie are getting along. Because, they really like you. They've always really wanted another girl in the group." I comment, watching as she rocks back on the soles of her heels.

"I like them too." She says quietly, looking down at the ground beneath our feet and then her gaze rises up to meet my eyes. "Was there something that you were going to tell me?"

I'm not really sure if I want to tell her my new assignment. But, I know that she should know about it, just in case something happens. I extend out my hand, gently placing it over her arm, rubbing her skin softly. "Yeah. Patrick, our fire chief gave me and a few of the other guys an assignment. We're going to be leaving tomorrow morning, early. Daniel, Tyler, Damon, a few of the others and myself." I explain, watching as she licks her lips, surprise in her eyes.

"How long will you guys be gone?" Elena asks me, taking a step back.

"A few days or more. You know the forest fire that's been burning near the Adirondack Mountains?" She nods, swallowing down her fear that I can see in her brown eyes.

"Yeah, people are losing their houses and being evacuated daily. It's really dangerous and four firemen have been killed already from nearby stations." She states, locking her eyes on to mine and uttering out. "Please tell me that's not where they're sending you!"

I nod, looking down at our shoes. "I'm going to be okay though, I promise." I try to reassure her, grabbing her hand again and stroking my thumbs over the top of her skin, smiling just a little when I realize that she's not pulling away from me. Instead, Elena's leaning towards me. And, before I can explain any more. She's in my arms, wrapping hers around me tightly. "Just please be careful and come back home safely."

We back away from each other, I open my mouth to tell her what I always do when she tells me to be careful. Although, the words don't make it past my lips because she kisses me before I can even speak. The kiss is quick and when she backs away, she's got tears in her eyes. "Be careful. Okay?"

My eyes close as I lift my hand to her face, wiping away her falling tears. "I care about you. So, I'm going to ask Caroline and Bonnie to just keep an eye out. Matt's staying behind and-." Elena cuts me off, tilting her head to the side.

"I care about you too. I like you, Stefan and I don't want anything to happen to you. So, please just be safe." She says, placing her hand into the front pocket of my shorts again and taking out the picture that she had given me. "I should go. But, make sure to read that and don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." She tells me, kissing my cheek and turning away from me without saying anything else. I watch her walking away and wiping away the tears in her eyes as she walks across the parking lot and towards her beat up old Honda.

I stand in the parking lot, still feeling her kiss against my lips and her arms wrapped around me as I inhale deeply, the faint smell of vanilla and lavender can be smelt against my clothing from where she held on to me. My left hand slowly lifts up the picture that Elena placed against my chest right before she walked away from me. She's smiling widely, her dark brown eyes are glistening as she sits on a park bench and tilts her head to the side, what looks like a lake is in the background of her. She looks stunning. My lips curl into a smile as I turn it over, reading the words that she had been so hesitant about me reading when she was standing in front of me. I clear my throat, reading them out loud and smirking to myself.  _To keep me with you, safe and near. Always, come home to me. With all my love...Elena._

* * *

**-Tyler-**

"Babe?" I hear her question sleepily. It's a little past 2:30 in the morning and I'm getting my bags ready to go for the next few days.

"Tyler?" Caroline's voice echo's from the hallway. She hasn't been able to sleep at all since I woke up and took a shower just a little while ago.

"Can you just tell him that you don't want to go?" Caroline asks me, walking into our bedroom in a white robe, a coffee mug in her hands as she clutches it and sits on the edge of the bed.

"You know I can't do that, Caroline..." My voice cracks a little. I'm afraid, I'm dying inside to tell her how scared I am about this. But, since we got the assignments and since I've slept on it a little. I know that we'll be okay- at least, I keep praying that we will be.

"You don't have your wedding ring on." She frowns at me as I zip up the white bag in my hands, filled with a few fresh towels and some other essentials. None of us have ever been away on a call like this and even though Patrick told us to pack lightly. I'm still packing as if I'm going on a damn camping trip. "I'm going to be around 292 miles away." I tell her, looking up to see Caroline's legs crossed, the cup sitting in her lap.

"I can't take my ring with me. You know that." I remind her, taking it out of my pocket on a golden chain and standing in front of my wife. Caroline inhales sharply as I place it around her neck, watching the ring rest against the middle of her chest. She's got tears in her eyes as she watches me leaning down to kiss her lips. "So, I'm having you keep it for me. For safe keeping. I love you, Caroline."

My hand cups her face, my thumb stroking her skin with a circular motion. "I'm going to miss you."

She nods, swallowing the lump in her throat. "I'm going to miss you too." She says, choking back on her tears as the nearly empty coffee cup falls to the ground, spilling a bit of its dark brown contents on to the ground when she gets up and pulls me against her, holding me tightly.

"Come home to me." She whispers against my ear as I feel her tears dripping down my neck. I pull her closer to me, kissing her cheek and holding her in the middle of our darkened bedroom, counting down the hours until I need to leave.

"I will. I always will." I whisper in a broken tone, embracing my wife and silently praying that this fire up in the mountain regions won't be as bad as everyone says it is.

* * *

**-Damon-**

"Wake up boys!" Daniel shouts, sliding into the seat next to me as the fire and rescue truck drives down the freeway and towards our destination.

"Someone's a little too chipper this morning." I mumble under my breath, hearing Stefan laugh as he drives.

"So, how pissed off was your fiancé when you told her that you were leaving?" Tyler asks Daniel, watching him lean his head back.

"Oh, Mel was fine. She's used to this on call, off duty stuff by now. It's just, she hates me leaving for long periods of time without any contact." He explains, reiterating the fact that our cell phone service is going to suck once we get up to where the fires are at and that we're barely going to be able to talk with any one for a few days except for each other.

"You boys are gonna get sick of me and send me back to Melanie earlier than I should be going back home." Daniel jokes, turning towards Stefan as he slaps his shoulder. "So, are the rumors true. You and crazy Makayla are over?"

Stefan rolls his eyes, tapping his hands against the steering wheel, shouting as he speaks. "Yeah, her and I done." He replies, throwing a glare in my direction while I explain to our friend and co worker in further detail. "You know, my brother. He likes to love em and leave em. Rumor has it that he's already moved on."

"You're shittin' me." Tyler comments, playing around with the toothpick in his mouth.

"Yeah, my little brother likes brunettes now. And, she's a feisty one too." I wink at him through the rearview mirror, catching Stefan's death stare. "Shut up, Damon."

"The fucking waitress from Rosie's?" Daniel blurts out, making me watch Stefan's reaction as I egg the guys on even more into teasing him about Elena.

"We're just friends." He clarifies, trying hard to hide the smitten look in his eyes and giddy sound in his voice. I know that he likes her and to be honest, I'm glad!

"Friends don't give friends hickies, Stefan." I point out, watching his cheeks redden.

"I...We..." He's stammering his words, staring at the road in front of him as I hear him huff out a breath.

"Sure, you didn't. I saw the two of you kissing and holding each other in the parking lot. It was really cute, actually. But, what I'm more curious about is what was it that she gave you?" I ask him, with a beaming smile when I hear him reply. "A picture of herself."

"Was she naked?" Tyler asks jokingly, causing me and the other six guys in the truck with us to bust out with laughter.

"No, asshole. She was fully clothed!" Stefan exclaims, turning too early at one of the rest areas along the way. "I'm sick of driving, how about one of you take over? You know what. Damon, why don't you do it. We still have about a half hour to go and I think it'd be good for you to drive. That way you'll focus more on the road and less at talking shit about me."

I feel the truck jerk over to the side as he parks it and jumps out, leaning his back against the hood of the truck. My eyes close and I inhale deeply before stepping out of the truck with everyone else, watching them all head to the bathrooms- leaving Stefan and I near the truck and by ourselves.

"I was just teasing you. You know that." I comment, leaning my back against the grill just like he is. Stefan's legs are spread out, arms crossed over his gray shirt as he stares straight ahead when my shoulder nudges his.

"I know you were. But, Elena and I are just friends. Damon, even if whatever is going on between us became something more. I can't hurt her. She's too important to me. Elena is the first girl that I've truly ever felt connected with. It's like two magnets are pulling us together and the more I'm with her, the harder I keep falling for her. Every day."

I cock my head to the side as I look over at him, smiling widely. "What are you saying?" I ask, sounding a little dumbfounded by his confession.

"I'm not really sure. Because, I'm still getting to know her figure this all out." He sighs out a breath before adding. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm starting to develop feelings for her and I can't wait to go back home to tell her." He admits, glancing down at the picture in his hands, the one Elena gave him.

"She's pretty." I tell him, pulling him into my embrace as he exhales deeply. "Do you think we'll be okay, Damon? Do you think that this fire isn't as bad as everyone says it is?"

My little brother's questions linger in the air between us as I close my eyes. I don't want to lie to him. I never want to lie to him. So, I tell him the truth. "Patrick said that it's bad, Stefan. The fire has burned around almost 1200 acres so far and it's destroyed local homes in the area. It's all over the place, up hills, down hills, knocking over large trees and the wind gusts are just carrying it. Which is making it worse and causing it to spread even more."

Stefan swallows deeply. He's silent for so long that I'm starting to think he's about to call Patrick up and back out. However, he turns to me instead. His worried green eyes secured on my face. "Damon, promise me that we'll have each other's back." He says simply, watching as my hand lifts and I place it on to his shoulder, pulling him forward and hugging him tightly.

"I will never leave you behind. Do you understand me? Stefan, you're the only one I've got." I comment, backing away from him as he hands me his cell phone, placing it against my chest with a firm grip.

"Call Bonnie and tell her you love her again before we lose cell service." He states, backing away and walking to the other side of the truck, fear riddling his face.

"We're going to be okay, Stefan. All of us. We're going to make it out alive and you'll be able to tell her how you really feel about her." I comment with a playful tone. Watching him ease up a little as he smiles and nods. "I know, now call your girlfriend." He instructs, crossing his arms and leaning his back against the truck once again. It takes me a few minutes, but I can see it from the corner of my eye as I place the ear to my phone and start talking to Bonnie. Stefan's glancing down at the picture of Elena and a relaxed smile begins to form across his lips, causing him to grin just a little.

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"I am so sorry that I'm late!" I shout out, pushing the door open as a case of beer nearly goes crashing to the ground. Elena's swift actions and quick thinking stops it from breaking all 6 bottles as she places it into her arms and smiles at me. "I hope you don't mind, Caroline and I started without you." She says, pointing to the small spread of cheese and crackers that Caroline has on the dining table, along with a half eaten cheese pizza.

"It's fine. I brought more food anyways and beer!" I exclaim, seeing Caroline grin.

"Hell yeah! That is why I love you so much." She shouts, watching the door close behind me as she pats the empty seat on her left side.

"Come on, Bon. Let's get this party started." She comments, leaning back into her chair and cracking open the dark bottle in her hands, taking a few sips before smacking her lips together.

"Perfect." She says, nodding over at Elena.

"So, the topic of discussion is Stefan Salvatore. Our dear new friend, Miss Elena Gilbert wants to know everything there is about Stefan. I volunteered the two of us to do just that." She explains.

Elena glances down at her hands nervously cracking her knuckles as she looks back up at me with a shrug of her shoulders. "I like him, okay." She admits shyly.

I smile at her, laughing a little when I lean across the table and place my hand over hers. "Honey, what's not to like? Stefan is a little reckless sometimes. But, he's wonderful."

She smiles at me, squeezing my hands. "I know. I mean, at least I think I do. I've only really gone out with him once. But, he's cute and fun to be around."

Caroline taps her fingers against the table, chuckling. "Stefan is a blast! It's just you've got to loosen him up."

I shake my head. "Oh, here we go." I comment under my breath, seeing Elena give me a confused look.

"Okay, let me elaborate. On Damon's 20th birthday. Stefan was under age and snuck in a whole bunch of different alcoholic beverages from his older buddies so that the rest of us could get drunk right along with Damon. Well, Stefan didn't really realize the alcohol content on the liquor and how much he could drink before getting completely drunk off his ass. So, needless to say. He was flirting with all of us and Tyler almost kicked his ass because he made out with Caroline, behind a dumpster."

Elena gasps, shaking her head and taking a drink of her beer as she scoffs. "He did not!"

I watch Caroline wave her hand out. "Um, he did. And let me say. My husband is an amazing kisser. But, damn it. Stefan isn't too bad either."

We're all laughing, smiling at each other when both Caroline and I stop as Elena mumbles out. "I know."

"What?" I ask her, my face filled with intrigue and wonder as she begins to blush, looking down at her beer bottle while she starts peeling off the label.

"You've kissed him?" I ask her. Elena's quiet for a long time, placing her hands against her face and trying to rub the redness from her cheeks, which makes them even more red.

"Yes! oh my god. I wasn't going to say anything. But, Caroline already knows and my god..I can't help it. He's just so...He's.." Her voice trails off as she places her head on to the table, hitting her forehead against it. "I am not drunk enough for this!"

"Not drunk enough for what?" Caroline probes, taking her drink away and waiting for Elena to face us again. Her eyes are widened, her cheeks so red that I think her blood pressure's gone way up.

"I've been dreaming about Stefan for the last four nights in a row and it's not like these fun, cute little let's- get- married- dreams. It's more like-." She pauses, lips hardening into a straight line.

"You're having sex dreams about Stefan!" I shout out, covering my mouth as I hear Caroline gasp out. "Oh my god!"

Elena shakes her head. "No, I am not! I-."

We both laugh, taking a gulp of our drinks. "Sure you're not. Elena, that's normal..I guess. When you're clearly attracted to him. Because, I mean. You are attracted to him, right?"

She nods, softly speaking. "Of course I am."

I smile over at Caroline, grinning. "So, would you ever date him?"

Elena glances up at me, shrugging her shoulders back. "I don't know. I guess I would. But, he doesn't like me like that. We're just friends, who apparently like to make out with one another in supply closets."

Caroline giggles, taking a few more sips of her beer and snacking on a piece of cheese. "Oh sweetie. He likes you. I can tell."

"I think you two would be cute together." I chime in, making Elena smile as she sighs out a breath. "Really?"

I nod, smirking. "Yes, really."

"I think he's be an idiot, not to date you." Caroline states, smiling as she lifts her bottle of beer. Caroline clears her throat. "To new lasting friendships and the men in our lives."

I smile at Elena and then at Caroline. "To new lasting friendships and the hunky fire fighting men in our lives whose uniforms we want to rip off."

Elena laughs, shaking her head when I ask. "I'm sorry, did I just say that out loud?"

"Yes, you did!" Caroline exclaims, leaning towards Elena as she says. "This one has no filter on her mouth. She kind of just says whatever pops into her head."

"Good to know." Elena smiles, lifting up her glass and clinking it against ours as she says softly. "To the guys in our lives. Let them all come home safely."

* * *

The next few days go by so fast that my week seems to blur together. Once again, the three of us all end up at the same place we did a few days ago- finding refugee in Caroline and Tyler's house. Me, because I can't stand the thought of being alone in our apartment. And, Elena's at their house because she doesn't want to be around her mother. So, Elena, Caroline and I have taken these past few days to our advantage. Staying up way too late, drinking and talking about everything in our lives. From Elena's brother and mother. To her crazy step father and her dad that died from cancer when she was a little girl, making the whole family fall apart. To Caroline and I teasing her about Stefan.

"My parents have been together for years. They separated for a while. But, then they got back together. I don't have any siblings. It's just me. Also, when I brought Damon home for the first time my mother was so thankful that he was nice. I personally think that they now like Damon some days more than I do." I tell them both, hearing Caroline snort out a laugh as we change the topic a little bit.

"At least your dad didn't announce on Christmas day of your junior year in high school that he was leaving your mother for a woman that's like 10 years younger than him!" Caroline exclaims, leaning back into the couch cushions and shaking her head, glancing up at the ceiling.

"My poor mom. I had to make a dating profile for her." Caroline says in a sad tone, huffing out a breath as she adds. "And, Tyler helped me weed out the gross guys who kept hitting on her."

Elena places her bottle down on to the coffee table, yawning just a little. "Oh god. That must have been awkward."

"You have no idea." She says, closing her eyes and sighing. "I just want mom to find someone, you know."

"Of course. We all need some happiness in our lives." Elena remarks, leaning her head against my shoulder and batting her eyelashes at me. "Like you and Stefan?" I ask innocently.

"Maybe." She states, shrugging her shoulders back and beginning to close her tired looking eyes.

"We should call it a night. It's already midnight and I have work in the morning. I can't go into work for the third time this week, completely sleep deprived. Luke is going to think something's wrong or that I've been partying too much."

I turn my head, glancing over at her. " It's because we have been acting like college students! Thanks to that stupid card game you suggested that keeps getting us drunk. And, not to mention the various alcohol Mrs. Caroline Lockwood has so kindly supplied to us. What was that card game called again? High and Low? Damn it, Elena! I know that I don't even know Luke. But, he seems fun. Tell him thanks for the card game suggestion."

Elena nods. " Luke taught me it. You guess the number of cards in the deck and if you're wrong. You drink...I think that's the rules. My brains a little fuzzy on them to be exact." She laughs, grinning widely. "Luke is fun. He also has a crush on Stefan."

"Who doesn't?" Caroline asks, giggling, I watch as she lifts her body up from the space that she's wedged herself into. Between the arm rest and the right side of Elena's body.

"I'm going to go wash my face." Caroline comments, tossing me the remote as she points to me and says. "Turn the news on. Bon, we haven't heard from them in three days. I'm getting worried."

"Okay." I reply back, watching Elena slowly get up too, walking over to the kitchen and getting a glass of water. She leans her hands against the counter and tiredly hangs her head low for a moment.

The Television blares to life as the blonde haired older news reporter talks about the local news for a while. I turn to Elena to say something. But, the loud announcement of breaking news and a red scroll across the bottom of the screen makes me turn my attention back to the TV.

"This is Emily Watson, local news channel 12 with your current breaking news. Fire fighters near the Adirondacks Mountains are battling a blaze that has claimed the lives of 4 men so far from firehouse 57. The fire is quickly spreading and conditions are making it difficult to fight. It's being called one of the worst fires to ever hit the area in decades. Evacuations are still in place for the residents that live nearby." The news reporter breathes out a breath before pausing and adjusting her head set. She continues shortly after.

"Among the firemen that have lost their lives from firehouse 57. We are also getting word in tonight that there is a correction. One of the young men was from firehouse 17 and he has died from his injuries. His family has been notified and his name can now be released. Firemen Daniel Johnson, only 24 years old." The news reporter goes silent for a minute as my eyes become blurry and then she continues with. "We also are getting word in tonight that two other firemen from Firehouse 17 have both been critically injured and are at a local area hospital, being treated for their injuries in the ICU. Authorities are still trying to contact family members and therefore, the names of these men have yet to be released. For more information, please stay tuned."

I can hear my heart beat pounding hard in my ears as Elena drops the glass filled with water on to the ground in the kitchen, shattering it against the floor. We're dead silent and neither of us moves. The only thing that's heard is the running water that's coming from the bathroom as it shuts off and Caroline steps back out into the living room, smiling at us both. Her smile fades away fast though as we all hear the ringing of my cell phone go off and she urges me to pick it up. It's late at night, a little past 1:30 in the morning. But, I already have this gut wrenching feeling as to why my cell phone is ringing at this hour.

"Hello?" I answer, my voice scratchy and tears welling up into my eyes when he says with an exhausted and pained tone. "Hi sweetie."

"Damon. Oh thank god!" I'm choking back my own tears as I lean into the couch cushions and exhale deeply. All I've been wanting to hear from him, these last few days is his voice. And, suddenly just by his simple call. I'm fulfilled with a calmness inside of me, knowing that he's okay and that he's alive.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, hearing as he coughs. "I'm fine. But, baby. Listen to me..I need to tell you something."

He's quiet and it's making my stomach feel nauseous when I look over at Elena who is standing behind Caroline, impatiently waiting for any word about Stefan. Just as Caroline is wanting to hear about Tyler.

"Damon, how's everyone else?" I ask him, trying to keep my shaking voice calm. But, the broken tone in his own voice is starting to make the tears spill over on to my cheeks when he says with pure honesty. "Daniel's dead, Bon. And, Tyler and Stefan are both in critical condition. The doctors keep saying that Tyler might not make it through the night and that Stefan isn't doing so well either. You all need to be here, Bonnie. You need to be here." He pleads, his voice breaking with every word he speaks.

* * *

**A/N: To be continued...**

**Feel free to leave me a review with your thoughts. I love getting feedback. :)**

 


	13. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Aww, you guys. I had writers guilt for leaving the story where I did. So, I'm hoping this little update will make up for that.**

**P.S. You'll need tissues for your tears..**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

**Follow me on twitter for updates or to chat about my stories at: BePassionate_24**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Twelve**

**-Elena-**

The drive up to the area hospital where they are at feels like it's taken six hours instead of the usual four hours that it takes to get up to this part of town. We're all silent, Bonnie's been clutching Caroline's hand the whole way up and I've been anxiously looking out the window. It's a little past 6:30 in the morning and I'm still sleepy, still trying to comprehend what's going on.

"Bonnie, please tell us that they're going to be okay." I plead, in a low voice, a part of it cracking at the end of my sentence.

She turns her head to me. Her darkened eyes are full of tears as they glaze over and she shuts them tightly, allowing the warm liquid to run down her cheeks. "I don't know, Elena. All Damon said was that they were in an accident and it's not good. I swear to you that if I knew more. I'd say something." She says, squeezing my hand and sighing out a breath.

The rest of the drive is fairly silent too, the only sound being heard is the humming sound of Caroline's small 4 door light green colored Toyota Camry. Until I glance up to see the bright hospital lights and Caroline's broken voice speaks. "I'm going to drop the two of you off here and I'm going to park the car." She says, pulling over into the ER entrance and watching as Bonnie and I step out of her car. My head turns back around to catch a glimpse of her. Her hands are shaking and her eyes are filled to the brim with unshed tears. I know what she's going to do. I know it, because I've been feeling the same way since Bonnie told us a little bit about what was happening.

"Let's go." Bonnie urges on, wrapping her arm around my waistline and leaning her head against my shoulder as we both walk into the hospital. There are a line of firemen, some faces that look familiar and others that neither of us have ever seen before. A woman's wailing sobs are heard as she clutches a picture of her missing daughter and shouts at the nurses passing by. "Tell me that she's alive! Please, tell me that my baby girl is still alive. She's from firehouse 57!" She screams, rocking back in forth in the plastic chair and crying over the picture of her daughter.

I swallow the lump in my throat, hearing Bonnie softly whisper that she's going to go in search of Patrick and ask him where to find Damon. I nod at her, feeling her release her arm from around me and walk down the north side of the building. My voice is raw, my lungs filled to a burning capacity with air as I walk into the receptionist and information center, searching for him. "Stefan Salvatore. I'm looking for-." My dry mouth can't even get the rest out in time before the receptionist tells me to take a step back from her desk. I'm paralyzed with fear and all the thoughts racing through my mind at such a rapid speed make me feel dizzy. I can't lose him right now. Because I need more time with him. My thoughts are jumbled as she lowers her black thick glasses to the tip of her nose and glances up at me over the rims, finally speaking.

"I'm sorry. But, only immediate family is allowed to see him at the moment." She informs me, scanning the list in front of her with her dark blue finger nails, pursing her lips together while she clears her throat.

"Please, he came in with the rest of the squad from firehouse 17 that was injured late last night. Please, he's my boyfriend." I lie to her with a begging tone, watching as her nose crinkles at my voice. "I'm sorry, young lady. But, I said only immediate family. Girlfriends, don't count." She says with a strict voice and waves me off.

I can feel the tears streaming down my face as I spot an unoccupied bench to take a seat at. My head hangs low while I bury my face into my hands and I start to cry. The only good thing that I've got going in my life right now is my friendship with Stefan and if he dies...I can't even fathom what would happen. Although, I do know what thing...Losing him would be the worst day of my life.

"Elena!" An unfamiliar voice makes my head lift up as her small smile meets my gaze and she sits beside me. She's got a light tan colored police officer uniform on. Her hair is blonde and cut short. But, her eyes are soft as she sits down next to me. "I'm Caroline's mother, Liz Forbes." She announces, extending out her hand as she watches me cup my left hand over my face and lean against her, sobbing into the tan colored fabric of her shirt.

My head rests against her lap as she places her hand on to my back, making a small circle against it. "Honey, they are going to be just fine. You need to believe that." She says in a motherly tone. My tired and foggy head snaps up as I wipe away my tears and apologize. I just cried in her lap without even giving her an introduction as to who I am. Although, from the sound it. Caroline must have already told her.

"How's Caroline?" I ask, looking down at my shaking hands as she inhales a deep breath and adds. "She's holding in there. I think she's still outside parking the car." She tells me, lifting herself up slowly and sighing. "Elena. My daughter told me about you. And, I want you to know that she was right. You are a very sweet girl and I'm glad the two of you are friends." She adds, pivoting on her heels and walking back into the waiting room with the rest of the crowd that's gathered as I look around to see Patrick Murphy scanning the room and then I hear him say. "The doctor's are allowing one person at a time to go in to see Stefan. Who wants to be first?"

Damon's nowhere to be found as my eyes shift over the room filled with a mixture of on duty and off duty cops as well as firemen and I see so many of the guys dressed in their uniforms. Dirt and grime covers their clothing and faces. Patrick, is the only one still nicely dressed in an ironed and crisp white shirt. "I do." My voice is so small that I can barely even recognize it coming out of my own mouth.

He steps in front of me, looking me over in confusion. "And, you are?" Patrick begins to ask, crossing his arms over his chest as I look past him and watch Damon slowly limping into the waiting room, his arm resting against Bonnie as she helps him walk. "She's his girlfriend. Now, please let her go see my brother in private without you hassling her." He declares, nodding at me as to give me permission and to tell me that it's okay.

* * *

The room is dimly light, he's covered up in bandages from the burns that I had overheard he had suffered when the trees that they were working on, fell and collapsed near them. Tyler had gotten pinned under one of the heavy pine trees and Stefan, Damon and Daniel had all tried to get him out. That was until two more of them crashed down and knocked Daniel unconscious- making all hell break loose.

The beeping of the machine that is helping him breath makes my chest tighten. My shaking hands slowly pull a chair near to his beside, unsure of what I really want to say or what I should do. My eyes focus in on his hands. His fingernails have dirt under them. His hands are covered in mud and soot, which covers them both as I lift my left hand, slowly placing it above his left hand. "Please wake up." I beg him, choking on my own words.

The rise and fall of his chest, the beeping noises of the machines working to keep him alive make my stomach sick as I hold on to Stefan's hand and hear the door close behind me. The nurse that's supposed to come in and change his bandages just nods and says with a gentle tone. "I'll come back later."

I hear the latch on the heavy door close as I close my eyes and sigh out a breath, speaking to him with a shaky tone. "I don't really know what to say. I honestly don't even know what I'm doing here. Your brother should be here, Stefan. He should be with you. Not me. I'm nothing to you. I'm just a girl whose life you saved and who will forever be indebted to you for the rest of my life." I comment, taking his hand into my own and lifting it up to my mouth, slowly kissing his dirt stained knuckles. "Thank you for saving me." I mumble out.

I'm so tired and I don't really know what to say. I wish I could curl up beside him and lay there until he wakes up, feeling his heart beat underneath my ear, knowing that something inside of him is fighting to keep him here for as long as his body, mind and soul allow him to be.

"I know that I don't really know you yet or how this is all going to all play out between us. But, I think you should know something. The reason I'm here, right now. I came here for you. And, it's not just because you consider me your friend. It's not because of anything like that. It's a lot more than that. It's because I'm falling in love with you, Stefan and I can't lose you to this." I declare out loud, slowly pushing back the blue blanket that he's laying underneath as I slide my cold feet into the warmth of the blankets that surround him. I'm careful as to not unhook anything as I rest my body against his, placing my arm against his upper body as I slowly place my head on to his chest. Tears dripping on to his light blue hospital gown while I expand my lungs, breathing out a ragged breath, whispering softly against him through choking cries. "Please, come back to me. I need you in my life, Stefan. Please, don't leave me."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

I feel like I'm driving the car in circles, missing almost every single empty parking spot in front of my face because the only thing that I can picture in front of my eyes is my husband's limp and ice cold body on a slab in the morgue.

Breathe in. Breathe out. I close my eyes, feeling the calmness over take my body and when I finally open them back up again, I muster up the courage to park the car. My trembling fingertips pull the keys out of the ignition as I flip open the visor and check my makeup. I've got dark bags under my eyes from barely sleeping. My hair looks like it's a mess and my eyes are blood shot from crying in one of the rest area stalls when Elena, Bonnie and I stopped for a bathroom break earlier.

The shinning of the wedding ring around my neck brings me back to my reality. Tyler could die, he could die in this hospital, without me ever telling him that I love him. My eyes shut tightly. My breathing quickens at the thought of losing him and before I can stop my fists from slamming against the steering wheel as I scream out in agony in the silent car, it all happens.

"You can't take him away from me! Do you hear me, god! You can't take him away from me!" I scream, watching the cold air in the car mix in with the warmth of my breathing, creating a foggy mist. My tears spill over and drip into my dry mouth. I'm choking on them, stammering out for a full breath that just can't reach my lungs as I lay my forehead on the steering wheel, whispering out my pleas and clutching the wheel with both hands on each side. "You can't take him away from me. He's all I've got. Tyler is the love of my life..Please, don't let him die. Please let him live, please let us grow old together..." My voice cracks as I sob against the cold steering wheel, thousands of scenarios playing in my head...Almost all of them with the image of Tyler flat lining in front of me.

* * *

_"It's Tyler, Caroline...He's not doing good."_  These words will change my life. These words will forever change our relationship as I sit here in the hospital room, surrounded by machines beeping, IV's dripping and listening to the faintest sounds of his breathing.

_"_ _He may never wake up again."_ The words that the doctor had spoken to me as I rushed into the hospital, just hours earlier still echo in my mind and I swear that I don't believe them as I look up and think about what my three friends and I had just witnessed. The men in our lives, our heroes- our firefighters- caught in the cross hairs of one fatal mistake.

"Daniel Johnson is dead. The department is in talks about funeral arrangements." A voice echoes inside of Tyler's room as I turn around and see Damon leaning against the wall for support. He's still wearing his uniform, his eyes are bloodshot and he's covered from head to toe in the same soot, dirt, blood and gashes that the rest of them were covered in when they were rushed into the emergency department, as far as I was told.

"And, my little brother is fighting for his life. You know, they say that he's got a blood clot in his lungs. But, they won't know anything until he wakes up...They won't even know how much of it he will remember, if anything at all." Damon tells me, taking a step in to the room as his shoes squeak from the slick floor.

"I can't believe this." I begin to blurt out, my hands shaking as I grip onto Tyler's hands. When I look close enough, I can see the dirt and grime underneath them, as if he was trying to claw his way out from underneath the cold ground beneath his body when the trees fell simultaneously from up above, leaving them in a ring of fire and with barely any way out.

"I know." I hear Damon pause, making his way towards me and then I feel his hands on my shoulders, gently squeezing. He leans into my ear, whispering softly. "He's going to wake up, Caroline. They both are and we're all going to be okay. Like, we used to be."

I've tried keeping the tears at bay. I've tried to be strong for Bonnie and Elena. But, Damon's words hit me like a speeding train and then I feel the warmth of my tears spill over onto my already heated checks once again, just like they did in the car. "I don't know what to do without him." I declare, whispering out my words. "How am I going to live without him, Damon! How am I going to-." He cuts me off, stepping in front of me, bending down as I feel myself breaking down in front of Bonnie's boyfriend.

"He's not going to die! Do you hear me, Caroline Lockwood? Your husband is not going to die!" He repeats, pulling me into his embrace as he holds me there, stroking my hair when he softly repeats once more. "They're going to be okay. We are all going to be okay."

I pull away from him. Angry at myself and about our situation as I shove Damon away from me and shout out with an exhausted and broken up tone. "You don't know that! You don't even know if he's going to make it through the night. So, don't you fucking come in here and tell me that everything is going to be okay. When, all I keep hearing from you and everyone else is a bunch of bullshit!" The tears fall down my cheeks, the pressure and pounding headache from a few days ago returns as I scream at Damon to get the hell out of Tyler's room and to leave me and my husband in peace.

My palms wipe away my tears as I focus back in on Tyler's breathing after Damon storms off. My hand lifts his hand and I find myself blankly staring at his bare fingers. I remember that his wedding ring is around my neck still. My hand drops his as my shaking arms lift up to the back of my neck and I unclasp the chain that he had given me.

"You need to wear this, it doesn't belong here with me. Baby, it belongs with you. Tyler, we made a vow to be with each other for as long as we both shall live. Now, you need to wake up and you need to keep your promise to me. Do you hear me? You need to wake up. So, that we can have babies and be happy together. So, that I don't end up sleeping in our bedroom alone because you know how much I hate that. Because, I can't do this without you. Tyler, I can't be here without you."

* * *

**-Damon-**

I leave Tyler's room in a daze, walking back to mine and finding Bonnie sitting on the edge of my hospital bed. "The doctors said that you'll be able to go home in a few days." She says with a small smile, probably trying to make me feel better. Although, I don't feel better, knowing that I made it out with a few scrapes, a couple bruises and a small minor burn on my fingers- I feel guilty. I don't know what it is about her words or the way she says them that sets me off. But, the idea of going back home and resuming my life like nothing happened. While everyone else is here, makes me so fucking mad that I'm screaming at her.

"I can't go home. As much as I want to sit around and think about everything I just fucking witnessed. I can't go home! This," I stop, pointing around the room to make my point as I lick my dried and chapped lips. "Is home now, Bonnie. Those machines keeping my brother alive. The doctors tending to Tyler's burns and trying to figure out how they're going to get him out of the medical induced coma he's in, because his brain is swelling! THAT is what home and reality for us is right now. Daniel is dead. A man that I considered like my brother, my best friend that I've known for years- is dead and I can't just sit around in our apartment while these guys from my department, my brothers, my family shatters!" I shout at her, watching her begin to shake as she sighs out a breath, pushing up from the bed.

"Please, Damon. Don't beat yourself up about this. It wasn't your fault." Bonnie tries to clarify as she inhales a breath, a pain filled expression covering her features.

"I was in charge of them! Bonnie, Patrick put me up to the task of being in charge of them and I failed!" I'm still yelling at her across the room, leaning against a chair and trying to catch my staggered intakes of breath. Then it happens, the bottled up emotions that I've been wanting to ignore, the ones I've been trying so hard to push behind in the back of my mind so that I can be strong from everyone else- begin to resurface as I collapse into the chair and my exhausted body finally lets it all go. Wailing sounds escape my mouth as I stomp my foot against the ground and my body shakes from the exhaustion and pent up anger and hurt it feels.

"Damon, it's not your fault. Please, baby. It's not your fault." Bonnie says with a soothing tone, wrapping her arms around me while my head rests against her shirt and I cry into it, mumbling over and over again how sorry I am and how all I want to do is go see my brother.

"I'm going to call Zach." Bonnie suddenly tells me, cupping my face in between her hands as her eyes meet mine and she wipes away my tear strained cheeks.

"No." I protest. I don't want our uncle to come out here and have to see Stefan like this. I don't want to have to explain how responsible I feel for what happened and how I don't think I can forgive myself if he never wakes up.

"Yes. I am going to call him. Damon, you need me. I know that. But, you also need your uncle. He can be here late tomorrow night. Please, just let me call him." She tries to reason with me, leaning into my face and capturing my lips slowly against her own. Bonnie's arms slide around my neck when I whimper out in pain and she sits ever so gently in my lap.

"This is not your fault. It was an accident, Damon and you all knew the risks. If anything, Patrick should be to blame for sending you all out there when he knew how bad this was!" She exclaims. I feel her fingers rub against the back of my neck as she rests her head on to my shoulder and sighs out deeply. "I love you, Damon. And, I know you don't want Zach here right now. But, he can help you more than I can."

"I don't want him, Bonnie. All I need is you." I tell her in a voice that's just above a whisper.

"I know and I promise that I'm not going anywhere." She replies to me in a firm tone, locking her watery and glazed over moistened eyes to mine as she leans her face down so that I'm staring directly in her eyes. It's almost as if I can see her soul through them as she pulls me closer and whispers into my ear. "We're going to get through this. Just like we do with everything. Together." Bonnie and I sit in silence for a long time before I clear my throat and whisper into the still air. "I know it's not the right time or the right place. But, my life flashed before my eyes the other night and all I could see was you, standing there. Bonnie, I don't want to live our lives without being joined as one. I guess what I'm trying to say is..Bonnie Bennett, will you marry me?"

Her head lifts up quickly, her right hand runs through my hair as she secures her gaze on to mine when she stammers out through a low voice. "Yes."

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for maybe making you...Cry or want to scream from the feels?**

**Hope you all liked this chapter though. Please feel free to leave me a review with your thoughts. Because, I love knowing what you all think. :)**

**To be continued... ;)**

 


	14. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**AN: Thanks to all of you who are leaving such sweet reviews about this story. It warms my heart to know that a lot of you are enjoying it.**

**Anyways, here is chapter 13!**

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**Thanks so much for reading!**

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**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirteen**

**-Jeremy-**

"I haven't heard from my sister in a while. She just picked up and left for a few days, without telling anyone. Except, for you. I usually talk to her almost every other day. But, I haven't heard from her in a week. So, that's why I'm here." I comment, walking up behind him as I watch Luke throw out the trash in a dumpster behind Rosie's diner. I haven't talked to Elena in a few days and I haven't seen my mom either. So, I'm feeling fairly out of the loop with my whole family at the moment. I guess that's why I ended up at the diner, hoping to see her at work and talk with her.

"Jer!" Luke exclaims, jumping back a bit as the trash bag in his hands drops to the ground and he gives me this scared shitless look.

"Where is she Luke?" I ask in a demanding tone, my irritation about Elena clearly wanting to leave without a word to anyone, is pissing me off.

"She, um...Do you want to come in for a cup of coffee and we can talk about it?" He asks with hesitation in his voice, glancing down at my uniform. I'm supposed to be on patrols with a new training officer that just transferred over to our unit to help solve a couple cases. But, I haven't been able to focus on my new job very well when I keep thinking about my sister and her whereabouts.

"Yeah, sure. Let me just go get my partner. I'm pretty positive that we could both use a cup of coffee." I comment, turning back on my heels and hollering out to my temporary new partner who has her hand sticking out and the windows of our patrol car rolled all the way down.

Luke watches her step out of the car, smiling as she walks towards us and extends out her hand to him. "Alexia Branson. But, everyone calls me Lexi." She says proudly, placing her hand against her holstered gun and shaking Luke's hand with her other free hand.

"Luke Slater. I'm a co worker of Jeremy's sister, Elena." He tells her, opening the back door to the diner and holding it open until we're both inside.

"So, when's the last time you heard from Elena?" He asks me, watching as Lexi and I take a seat next to each other and Rosie nods at us, smiling.

"It's been a few days. Since, last Monday." I comment, watching Luke's eyebrows furrow, nearly gasping.

"So, you don't know about them, do you?" He questions as he pours the hot coffee into two white colored mugs placed in front of Lexi and I.

"About who?" I ask, watching as he places the hot and steaming thermal carafe beside him on his left side.

"About her new group of friends?" He asks as I purse my lips together, taking two packets of sugar from the small holder in front of me. "I know about the firemen. About, Stefan. The guy who saved her life." Luke watches me stopping to open the packet of sugar in my hand as I listen to Luke explain.

"Stefan's in the hospital, Jeremy. In the intensive care unit. He got into an accident last week on the job and your sister's been up there all week long, with him. I thought you knew." Luke says, seeing me shake my head.

"I knew about him. I just didn't realize how close they'd already gotten." I comment, feeling Lexi nudge my shoulder. "That's really sweet, you know. Her going up there to be with her friend."

I swallow down what I wanted to say as I smile a little. "Yeah, I just wish she would have told me about all of it. We used to tell each other everything."

"She called me last week and told me. Listen, I'll tell her to call you." Luke says, glancing up at Lexi and I as I take a sip of my coffee, placing it down and sighing out a breath.

"I should just go up there, to be with her." I comment, feeling Lexi and Luke's eyes on me.

"She's my sister. Elena has always been pretty bad at telling someone when she needs help. So, she's probably too afraid to admit that she needs someone else with her beside her friends. And, since she's always connected better with me than our mother. I think it's be best if I went up there to bring her home."

Luke scoffs at me words. "Bring her home? Oh, Jer. I highly doubt she's going to want to go."

My head tilts to the side, staring at him. "And, why not?"

"Because, your sister is in love with him, Jeremy. And, at this point. You'd have to drag here out of his hospital room kicking and screaming before she ever left willingly." He tells me, causing Lexi to let out a small "Awe." And making me stare at Luke with a very surprised look on my face.

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"He doesn't want me here. You know that, right?" Zach asks, hesitantly placing his hand on the empty seat beside him. We're both sitting in the hospital cafeteria without Damon even knowing that he's finally here.

"He does want you here. They need you, Zach. You're the only family that those two guys have. And, I'm thankful that you came." I comment, extending out my hand and squeezing his as he smiles, nodding.

"I've always liked you, Bonnie." He comments with a grin as I smile back at him. Honestly, I've always liked him as well. Zach's always been kind and sweet to me. And, I highly admire him for taking care of both Stefan and Damon when they were younger.

"So, how is Stefan?" He asks me, placing the spoon that's in his coffee mug out of it and on to the table.

"He's going into surgery again tomorrow. They're going to need to make a skin graph for the burns on his arms." I comment, taking a napkin from the napkin holder beside the window that we're sitting next to, spinning it around nervously in between my hands.

"He hasn't woken up yet and that is what's scaring Damon the most. It's been a week, Zach. Neither of them have woken up yet and we're all scared. Sitting on pins and needles because we don't know what's going to happen." I explain further.

"Stefan's a fighter. So, is Tyler and Damon. They are going to be just fine." He reassures me, glancing down at the muffin that I haven't even touched yet.

"I know. But, it's hard. You know, when the doctors are telling Tyler's wife that if he wakes up that he probably won't be able to walk and that when Stefan wakes up that they're unsure of what will happen to him because of the clot and his burns. He has some on his face and it could change his appearance, a bit." I add, picking the crunchy top off of the chocolate chip muffin and placing the small piece into my mouth.

"Let's go see him. I think I'm ready now, to see them both." Zach inhales a breath through gritted teeth, slowly getting up and extending out his arm to me. A gentle smile appears across his face as I loop my arm around his and we make our way out of the cafeteria.

"After their parents died, I raised those boys as if they were my own. It was the right thing to do and it was what my brother had wanted, in case something happened to them. Did you know that?" He asks me, smiling at what seems like a memory that only he can remember with the two of them.

I smile just a little too as we walk slowly down the hall and towards Damon's hospital room. "I know a little bit about them both. But, Damon and Stefan don't talk about what happened and their time with you. Their parents, they only have vague memories. But, I've always wanted to know more about his mother and his father. What were they like?"

Zach's smile reappears as he spots a row of seats in front of us and we both walk towards them, sitting next to each other as he observes a group of nurses in their blue scrubs and two doctors in their white lab coats, all talking amongst each other while they pass by us. Zach clears his throat, turning to me as he says. "Olivia, the boy's mother. Was a beautiful soul, both inside and out. She was kind and gentle and giving. And, she cooked and baked things all the time. My brother's real name was Giuseppe. But, everyone called him Joe. He was the life of the party, kind of like Damon. And, he was hard working like them both. Always wanted to make sure that his family had everything they needed." He tells me, fighting back tears as he sighs.

"Joe was my best friend. Even before he met Olivia. We were inseparable. And, watching Damon and Stefan be like that over the years reminds me a lot of the two of us, back in the day. I would have given the shirt off of my back for my brother and I know that he would have done the same. He once told me that if anything ever happened to him that he wanted me to take care of the boys. I'd been in their lives since they were babies. And, Olivia and Joe wanted someone they trusted and loved to watch over their sons. The night they died, I rushed to the hospital, picked the boys up and took them with me to my home in Missouri. I raised them until Damon was 19 and I helped fund their schooling for a while. I was the one that helped Damon with deciding if he wanted to be a firemen. I don't take full credit for it. Because, I think after their parents died in the fire at their childhood home that, being a firemen was always something he wanted to do. But, I'd like to think they turned out to both be very fine young men who picked very honorable careers." Zach tells me, leaning back into his seat and closing his eyes for a moment.

"Damon loves Stefan, you know. They have me and all that. But, they really only do have each other. And, Damon has you. I just wish that Stefan would find someone. I don't want him being alone, Bonnie. I'm not going to be around forever. And, I just want to make sure that the boys will be okay without me." I lift my hand up, placing it against his just as he had done to me at the cafeteria earlier.

"They will be. Trust me, Zach. They will be." I comment with reassurance in my voice, smiling over at him as he glances past me and I see his soft facial expression harden with a sudden sadness, looking out to the hallway.

"I thought that I said, I didn't want him here, Bonnie." Damon states in a scolding tone, taking small steps and making his way to us as we hear his low voice echo throughout the hallway that's calmed down from all the foot traffic.

"You may not want me here, son. But, you know that you need me here." Zach quickly says, pushing himself up and embracing Damon tightly. I watch his face soften the moment that Zach's arms wrap around him and when I look a bit closer, I can see that his blue eyes are glazed over with tears.

"You just can't stay away, can you?" He asks, still holding on to Zach as I observe their interaction.

"Not when you and your brother are both a total mess." Zach jokes, trying to lighten the mood as he places both of his hands against Damon's cheeks and kisses his forehead. "I've missed you, kiddo."

"I've missed you too." Damon replies, backing away from him slowly and shrugging his shoulders back. He's got a gash on the upper left corner of his right eye, a few cuts on his fingers that are bandaged up because of the strong fire melting his gloves and causing his hands to become injured.

"So, how's your brother?" He asks, placing his hands into his pockets and rocking on the soles of his heels. Damon shrugs, not really sure of what to say because none of us really know how Stefan's doing. And, to say that he's doing well would be a lie.

"How about we go check up on him. I was actually heading that way." Damon explains, nodding to me as I get up and walk towards them, wrapping my arm around Damon and feeling him lean into me a bit. "Thanks, babe." He says sweetly, kissing my lips gently and backing away for a minute to stare at me.

"So, Zach how many days are you staying in town?" He asks him, our footsteps falling into sync with Zach's as we all turn the corner and casually walk down the hall.

His reply is stopped when each of us looks up to see Elena leaving Stefan's room and Zach asks in a soft voice. "Is that your brother's nurse?"

Damon and I both laugh a little, walking towards the door and pushing it open. It smells like medicine and the sounds of machines beeping make my heart sink as Zach looks around the room, noticing the pink duffle back on the floor and pair of women's shoes.

"Is your brother dating someone? Was that girl who just snuck out of his room, his girlfriend?" He questions with a hopeful tone, looking down at Stefan with a sorrowful glance the moment Zach realizes how bad the situation really was. Stefan's been unable to breathe on his own. So, he's been laying in the bed with a ventilator hooked up to him, helping him breathe and another machine that's keeping track of his oxygen levels and his blood pressure. The machines are everywhere and it makes each of us nauseous.

"No, she's just a friend of his that's been keeping an eye out on him. She's a sweet girl who cares about my brother." Damon explains as I nod in agreement.

"I'm sure you'll be meeting her, eventually. But, she probably just didn't feel right being in the room with us right now, while we visited Stefan." I comment, seeing Zach pull up a chair and take a seat in it.

"Well, I understand that." He says, glancing back over at Damon and I who have both gotten grief-stricken looks on our faces.

"You gotta wake up, kid. Do you hear me? Your brother and everyone here needs you. Stefan, you got to open your eyes." Zach tells him urgently, choking back his sobs as he grabs a hold of Stefan's limp hand and kisses the top of it, pleading with him to wake up. "Open your eyes, Stefan. Please, just give me a sign that you're okay."

I swear that watching his uncle pleading with him breaks my heart as he leans over Stefan's body and cries into the fabric of his hospital gown. "I told your mom and dad that I was going to protect you two from anything that could harm you. And, look what happened? You're in the hospital. Because, I didn't do my job correctly. I broke the promise I made to them. And, I am so sorry for that." He says, his body tensing as Damon and I hold each other, watching Zach break down over Stefan's weak and unresponsive body.

* * *

**-Elena-**

It's been an hour since I blew Damon off and left them all alone to go see Stefan. I don't need to be there with them. It's not like I'm his family or his girlfriend. So, I figured that the best thing for me was to go for a walk around the hospital. Sitting around the room and pacing the floor just hasn't been doing anything for me and my legs had started to fall asleep. However, I'm thankful that when I knock on the door to Stefan's room, just a few minutes after walking up to it. That no one seems to be around anymore. I push the door open, revealing nothing more than a little note that was left in Damon's hand writing on a small desk beside Stefan's bed. The room is empty of everyone except for Stefan and I. My breathing slows when I take a seat back in the same chair that I've been sitting in for the last few days as I read the note.

_Meet us in the cafeteria. My uncle Zach is in town and he'd really like to meet you, Elena._

_P.S. Stefan's still in there. You just got to have some hope._

_-Damon_

"It's like you've moved into his room." Matt says, breaking me out of my focus on Damon's words. He's holding two cups of coffee as he licks his lips and leans against the door frame of the hospital room, observing my hair products in a small bag near the tiny closet door and another bigger pink duffle bag partly filled with my clothes.

"Yeah. Well, I'm not leaving and Luke's been kind enough to find someone to cover my shifts at the diner. So..You know. I don't really any other place to be. But, here. With, Stefan." I tell him, hearing his shoes squeak from the rain outside. It's been pouring all day long, making the clouds darken and my heart hurt with it.

"I came here to apologize for things I said to you. About, Stefan and Makayla...Elena, I was out of line and it was wrong of me. I'm sorry." He says, handing me a cup of coffee as I turn my head to look up at him. I've been here nearly all week. Sitting. Waiting. Hoping. And, Matt or Makayla have nearly been seen by any of us.

"You were out of line. He doesn't love her, Matt. He told me." I comment, clutching the coffee cup as I hear the leg of one of the other chairs in the room scrap against the linoleum flooring of Stefan's hospital room as Matt moves it to sit near me.

Matt laughs a little, pulling up his seat and sitting beside me. His hands are in his lap as I watch him cross his arms over his chest. "What else did he tell you about me?" He questions with curiosity in his tone.

I sigh out a breath, pursing my lips together. I don't really know if I should tell him everything. But, I really want to make it clear to him that I'm not interested in him and that he should just let it go. "Stefan told me that you're an asshole." I bluntly reply.

Matt's quiet for a long moment and the awkward silence becomes just that. Utterly unbearable. The silence makes me regret my words. Because, as much as Stefan might hate Matt sometimes. I know that he does in fact care about him.

"I'm joking. He actually said you're a nice guy." I quickly say out loud, watching as Matt turns his head to me. His tired blue eyes glance down at my hands and before I can say anything I feel the caress of his fingertips against my skin, grabbing one of my hands into his and tightening his grip. "He's going to be okay, Elena. He's going to make it through this. And, if you ever need anyone to talk to about Stefan. I'm here. Even though you think I'm an asshole. I do care about him." He tells me with a knowing tone.

My voice cracks as I suddenly add in. "I'm scared. I'm scared that he's never going to wake up." I tell him, watching him swallow the lump down in his throat, his blue eyes glazed over with tears.

"It was supposed to be me. Who was supposed to go instead of Stefan. But, at the last minute. Patrick called him into the office and told him that he was going instead. It was supposed to be me and Stefan was supposed to stay behind." He states, swallowing down the rest of his words and leaning his head as he suddenly gets up and moves to the door. Matt's back is against the wall that he's standing by near the door.

My eyes close as I sit still in the chair, not wanting to move or look over at him as I speak. "So, why didn't you go?"

"Because, when Patrick was picking people to go. I was late to the meeting that he was having about the assignment and he decided to pick Stefan instead. Elena, I'm sorry." He says to me as I finally turn around to look at him, inhaling deeply to try and keep my composure.

"Don't tell me that you're sorry. Tell that to Stefan, when he wakes he up. If, he ever does." I comment firmly, watching as Matt's head lowers and he shrugs his shoulders back, leaving without another word.

I turn back to glance up at the monitors and at the rhythmic beating of his strong heart. My warm hands take a hold of Stefan's hand and lean it against my forehead. "You're going to wake up, any day now..You're going to wake up and you're going to be okay." I softly state, exhaling deeply as I place my elbows on to the edge of the bed, holding on to his hand and saying a small prayer.

I don't pray. Truthfully, I've never really been that religious. But, I'm feeling like the only person who can save them is someone higher than any of us, so my prayers become a little bit more meaningful now. "I just want to keep him with me. I know that it's a lot to ask for. But, he's the best thing that has ever happened to me. Please, save him. " I speak out into the still silence, pushing the chair up and away from me as I get up and kiss Stefan's forehead, whispering against it. "I'm going to go see Caroline. But, I'll be back. I promise. You better make sure that you stay with me and don't go anywhere."

* * *

"You should go home or go and eat something at the cafeteria." I tell her, watching as her whole body tenses up at the sound of my voice. Caroline's laying beside Tyler, her head on his chest and their hands intertwined.

"If I go home, he's going to wake up and he's going to be looking for me. I need to be here, Elena. I need to be here when he opens his eyes." She says to me in this hopeful and understanding tone. I watch as she gets up, tucking the blanket that she brought from home underneath Tyler's still body just a bit.

"I can't sleep. You know, last night I tried to sleep. But, I kept waking up and I was just staring up at the monitors and listening to his breathing." She says while she sits across from me on the other side of the bed, running her fingers through her hair. The vibrant and lively young woman that I've learned to associate whenever I think of Caroline is wiped away by stress and sheer fearfulness of losing the only man she's ever loved and it makes me so angry.

"What do you know about Matt Donovan and Makalya Murphy?" I suddenly blurt out, watching as Caroline gives me a confused look at the change of subject.

"What do you want to know about Matt and Makalya?" Caroline asks me, turning to her right side as she pours herself a small cup of water into one of those dark pink looking plastic hospital cups from the matching jug beside it.

"He showed up today, out of nowhere and came to see Stefan. I know that he's been around the hospital these last few days. But, he wanted to know what Stefan was saying about him. He brought me coffee and he was nice. But, I just felt like something was off." I explain, watching Caroline adjust herself in her seat, shrugging her shoulders back.

"I've never really been a fan of him or Makayla. They both annoy me. Although, Matt is a nice guy and he goes care about the boys. He went into the academy a year before Stefan did and they all kind of met through Damon. They all kind of grew up together. You know, young boys becoming strong men." She stops, glancing back down at Tyler as she sighs, continuing to speak. "He also is friends with Tyler. All of them are like brothers, Elena. You need to understand that. Matt may be odd or whatever. But, that's just how he is and as far as Makayla goes. She is a pain in everyone's ass." A small smile appears across Caroline's lips for the first time in a week since the accident happened and we find ourselves laughing a little.

"Thanks for spraying her in the face during the charity event at the firehouse." I laugh, seeing Caroline nod as she laughs in a small voice. "Not a problem, she deserved it. Makayla thinks that she's the best thing for Stefan. She's very wrong though." Caroline tells me, glancing up at me and locking her eyes on to mine when she hears me ask. "And, how would you know?"

Caroline snorts a little, pointing to me. "Because if she loved him. She would be here with him right now as he lays in that bed, fighting for his life. And, I haven't seen her since the charity event. Elena, she's not the best thing for him. You are."

My eyes widen as I open my mouth to say something. But, the lifting up of Caroline's hand makes me stop. "I'm observant and usually, I am never wrong. I've seen the two of you together and apart. And, every time I see you two. I can tell that you both have a strong bond with one another. I just, don't think that either of you have noticed that yet."

I shake my head, closing my eyes and still feeling the brush of Stefan's lips against my own when he kissed me in the supply closet, a week ago. The warmth of his strong and protective arms around me, holding me as if I was going to break. My mind becomes consumed by him, the scent of his skin and the taste of his mouth upon mine. Maybe she is right, maybe I am...The best thing for him or maybe I'm the worst thing. Whichever one it might be, all I know is this: I miss him. I need him.

"That's silly, Caroline. Stefan and I are just friends. Yeah, we might have a strong bond. But, we're just-." She cuts me off, getting up from her chair as she brushes her finger against the light blue fabric on the blanket while she walks over to my side, sighing.

"Stop lying to yourself, Elena Gilbert." She states in a firm tone as my head snaps up when I cautiously glance at her.

"About what?" I ask, watching Caroline lick her gloss covered lips before her eyes meet mine and she flatly says. "You're trying to convince yourself that you aren't falling in love with him because it's easier that way. To not let your heart get broken if something happens to him. But, you shouldn't do that. So, be honest with me and yourself." I watch as Caroline slowly bends down near my chair when she grabs my hand and starts directly at me face as she questions. "Are you falling in love with Stefan?"

I take a shaky inhale of breath, closing my eyes and allowing my tired brain to take over my body. I do know that whenever I see him that my heart skips a beat, that sometimes I forget my own name and that I want more than anything to spend as much time as I can with him. But, I really don't know what empowers me to admit what I've been feeling for a few days now towards him, in a soft tone as I declare. "I think that I am, Caroline."

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**A/N: What do you all think about Elena's confession to Caroline?! :) I'm pretty sure that once Stefan wakes up that things will change between them. Also, uncle Zach makes an appearance. :')**

**Reviews are much appreciated!**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	15. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Hey all. So, I just wanted to quickly say that I am so thankful for all of you that are reading this story. THANK YOU SO MUCH. You guys rock! And, for the two guests who asked about if everyone was human in this story, yes they all are. Also, for the other person who was wondering about reading "One and Only" Please look on my page here. You'll find it listed. :)**

**Also, for those of you that haven't seen it yet. I made a little video that talks a little bit about my two fanfictions Must Love Dogs and Before You Were Mine. I had asked a few of you to send me questions reading any of my stories and the video is me answering those questions. So here's a link to that: watch?v=VrqA8vj8ZLY**

**If any of you would like to send me questions about any of my stories. Please feel free to send them to my tumblr ask box or to my ask. fm. And, I can make another one of these answering more things you all might be curious about.**

**Anways, here's is chapter 14! Hope you all like it & thanks for reading. :) **

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**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Fourteen**

**-Caroline-**

She's silent, playing with the small string that's snagged on her shirt. Although, I've known her for a while now to know that she's clearly avoiding my question. Elena sighs out a loud breath, thinking about what else she wants to say.

"It's silly. Isn't it? To feel like this for him. When, I still have so much more to learn about him. Caroline, I can't explain it though, it's like this energy pulling me to him..It's like-." She begins to say as I grab a hold of her hand, forcing her to look up at me.

"Sweetie, it's okay to feel something for Stefan." I encourage her. She gives me a small smile, running her fingers through her hair.

"I'm sorry, I came in here and I'm rambling for no reason. I should go, check up on Stefan." She says hastily, pushing up from the chair and giving me a saddened look out of nowhere. "He's going to wake up, Caroline. You'll see. Just, give it some time."

Elena leaves a few minutes later, her words of hope still looming inside of my head as I jump at the sound of an unexpected knock on the door.

"Sorry to barge in like this. But, I thought that I'd come in to see how my son was doing." Carol tells me, narrowing her eyes to the floor and slowly lifting them when I get up, prepared to leave and give her some time with her son.

"You don't need to go, Caroline. Stay. I've been meaning to speak with you anyways." She tells me, pulling up a chair and blocking my way out of Tyler's hospital room. I don't want to sit her with and have her psycho analyze me because I know that in the back of her mind, that's what she's doing. I decide to stay more so because of Tyler, because my love for this man is stronger than anything I've ever felt in my life and even if his mother can't stand me. I know that she knows this.

"Talk about what?" I ask her, placing my hands into my lap and staring down at them. This is awkward since we've always had Tyler do most of the talking when I'd see his mother and now, here we are. Just her and I, sitting and attempting to talk whatever this is out.

"As much as I hate to admit it. You're good for him. You always have been good for my son. But, honey there are a lot of things that you two need to work on." She tells me, glancing up at me and catching the irritated glance that I'm giving her. Is she serious right now? Her son is laying in the bed behind us, tubs sticking out of him and keeping him alive as she sits her and tells me this bullshit.

"I don't need to listen to this, Carol. You are his mother and you should spend time with him. So, I'm going to leave and you go right ahead. Spend time with your son, who might never wake up again." I spit out at with a harsh tone, grabbing my jacket and my purse from the back of the chair that I'm sitting on as I get up and step aside to leave the room. Although, something catches my eye when I turn back around to look at Tyler's mother and my heart drops into my stomach.

Carol gives me a perplexed look, turning her head just slightly to see what my eyes are resting on. They're staring at Tyler's hands. She turns to me, wanting to say something and slowly rising from her chair as I wave her off and drop my bag and jacket on to the ground near the door. "Did you see that?" I ask with an astonished voice, making my back to his bed ever so slowly as if he's a caged animal that I'm trying not to spook.

"See what?" She asks me, glancing down at his hands.

"His fingers moved. They moved! Tyler's hands moved. He's in there, he's still in there." I breath out, fighting back the tears that are brimming my eyes as I inhale a shaky breath, repeating my words.

"Caroline, it was probably just a nerve thing. They say a lot of stuff like that happens with people who are in a medically induced coma. The doctors are really the only ones who can wake them up. He's not going to wake on his own." She tries to say as I ignore her and move in front of her to sit down in the chair that she had been sitting in. Carol stands behind me, I know this because I can feel her eyes burning a hole into the back of my head. However, all my energy is focused on Tyler and the fact that after a week of nothing. No hope, no improvements. He finally moved his hand!

"Tyler. Babe. If you're in there, squeeze my hand." I tell him, hovering over him and grabbing a hold of his right hand that's closest to me, squeezing it as my other hand gently strokes back the hair on his forehead. "Baby, squeeze my hand. Okay?" I urge him on some more through glazed over tears in my eyes that are making my vision blurry. My hand is clutching his as I grab a hold of it and gently tighten my grip.

"Caroline. He's not moving his hand, it's just the nerves in his body." She states again, making the tears spill over my already red cheeks.

Her mouth drops open, she crosses her arms over her chest and stares at me with utter shock on her face. "I'm sorry, Caroline. I know you wanted hope for him. I want it too. But, my son is a DNR. And, I'm his power of attorney. So, it means that if Tyler doesn't wake up soon and we see no improvements within a few months time. It all means that I'm going to have to decide, when and if I have to pull the plug on his life support. He never had these forms updated when he married you. So, those responsibilities fall under me. I'm sorry."

A DNR and life support? She's his power of attorney. His own mother gets to decided if my husband lives or dies? My eyes widen, the tears start to drip into my mouth as I exhale and catch my unsteady body, placing my hands on to each side of the bed. "He's got a do not resuscitate order?" I ask her out loud, watching her nod. "But, I'm his wife! I should decide these things, not you!"

"Well, it's too late for that now, isn't it?" She questions, leaning her back against the wall that's closest to the door as my eyes shift to meet hers. It's too painful, this whole thing and I want more than anything for Tyler to just wake up! Although, I know that it doesn't work that way.

"Get out! Get the hell out of my husband's room and leave us alone!" I yell at her, watching as she looks down at the ground before looking back up at me.

"It sounds like something the two of you will need to figure out." Carol tells me with a saddened tone, turning to leave when she throws over her shoulder. "I'll be back later tonight to check up on his progress. I'm sorry if I upset you, Caroline. But, I am his mother and he is my only son. I suppose if you were a mother, you'd understand."

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"So, this girl that Stefan's seeing. What do you know about her?" Zach asks me, playing with the straw in his glass filled with ice water as I watch the ice chips swoosh around.

"He's not really seeing her, per say. She's a waitress, a good and kind person. And, she's been here almost all week. Day in and day out. She hasn't left his side since the accident happened, Zach." I explain.

My gaze moves to see Damon walking up towards us with a bag full of pastries from the cafeteria and a holder that's got three cups of coffee in it. "Figured we could use these as we wait." He says, sliding into the booth beside me and placing them down. Zach follows his hands as Damon places one of them against mine and cups his palm over the top of it.

"There's something that we've been meaning to tell you." He directs his voice towards Zach as he smiles back at the both of us, eyeing me curiously.

"Are your pregnant, Bonnie?" He teases, smiling at me with a hopeful and glee filled expression.

"No." I shake my head. As much as I want Damon and I to start a family. We're just not in that position to be doing that at all right now. Maybe somewhere down the road when we've been married for a while. But, now? Yeah, that is out of the question.

Damon clears his throat, taking my left hand and bringing it up to his lips, kissing my fingers and lingering his mouth across my ring finger, Where my engagement ring should be.

"We're engaged. I asked Bonnie to marry me and she said yes." Damon blurts out proudly, intertwining our hands together as we stare up at Zach who is both stunned and smiling at us as if we've just told him that we've won the lottery.

"Engaged? Well, it's about damn time, Damon!" He exclaims, getting up and leaning into Damon. Zach pulls him into a tight bear hug and leans over to kiss my cheek, frowning when he glances down at my hand.

"Where's the proof?" He jokes, taking a seat back on his side as Damon purses his lips together.

"Well, once everyone is okay and Stefan's awake. We're going to announce it to our friends. But, right now. Since, I don't have a ring yet. We're just keeping it to ourselves." Damon adds, smiling proudly at his uncle.

"I'm happy for you. For the both of you. And, your parents would be very happy about it too. Bonnie is a fine girl. And you, son. Are a very fine young man. Just make sure to treat this one with respect and shower her with love, like I told you women should be treated." He reminds him, lifting up suddenly from his chair as he sighs.

"Where are you going?" Damon asks him. Zach smiles, patting his shoulder and exhaling before he glances over at us and states. "I'm going to go check up on your brother and see if he's made any progress since the other night. I'll leave you two love birds alone for a bit. I'm sure you both have much to talk about. Future wedding plans and all." He winks, turning away and leaving Damon and I sitting at the booth, hand in hand with smiles on our faces.

* * *

**-Elena-**

I can feel his eyes on me as I take the newspaper into my hands, opening the pages and lifting my feet up against the arm rest to the chair, sighing out a breath. "You don't need to stand near the door lurking. You can come in, your his family anyways. I mean, at least that's what he told me."

"I'm Zach Salvatore. Stefan's uncle." He announces as he watches me lowering the newspaper, placing it into my lap and looking up at him with a small smile. "Thought so. You all look related."

Zach takes a step closer, placing his hands into his pockets and eyeing me curiously as he walks further into the room. "Are you his new girlfriend?"

His question makes me laugh a little, smiling. "No. We're just friends, Stefan and I. He, um..It's a long story." I begin to say, looking across the room while Zach pulls up a chair and sits down near me. He crosses his legs over each other and places his hands into his lap. He's older, a few gray hairs and a bright warm smile that makes me feel as if I could tell him anything in the world and he'd understand it, probably giving me some really good advice too.

"I have all the time in the world, young lady. I'd love to know who you are and how you came to meet my nephew. Because, from what his brother told me. You haven't left this hospital since Stefan was admitted here, about a week ago. Going on two now." He states, lifting his gaze to lock his eyes on to me.

"I owe him. Your nephew saved my life." I quickly tell him as a proud, almost fatherly smile spreads across Zach's lips. "From a fire?" He asks.

I'm nervous, looking down at my feet that are bouncing up and down as I tap them upon the shiny white flooring. "No, from a speeding car almost running me over. I got distracted and Stefan pushed me out of the way. Like, I said. I owe him. That's why I'm here."

He nods, clearing his throat. "So, you're not friends with his ex-girlfriend." He asks me, obviously not really paying much attention to what I had previously said.

"Oh god no. I don't really know her. Although, I do know that not a lot of you guys seem to be fans of hers." I comment with a small laugh, hearing Zach laugh as well. His lips are pursed together as he glances over at Stefan, watching his chest rise and fall.

"Good. I honestly never knew what he saw in her anyways. She isn't good for him. Never a good friend, even worse girlfriend. Makayla got him into a bit of trouble when he was first starting out at the station. I don't really know what it was about because Stefan doesn't really talk to me anymore. But, all I know is that he's been walking a very thin line there ever since then." His voice is low and softens, telling me that there is clearly something between Stefan and his uncle that I'm missing out on.

"Ever since his parents died, he blamed me for taking them away from their childhood home and for a lot of other things. Stefan didn't want to leave the area that he grew up in as a kid. Even though the house was all burnt up. He grew up in Manhattan, a city boy through and through. But, when I took him out to Missouri with me. He hated it, he tried running away a few times for the first few months. Poor Damon would have to go to a local bus stop and bring his little brother back home, every time." He explains, sighing out deeply.

"I never wanted to disrupt their lives. You know, I just wanted to make sure that they had everything they could have in their lives without having to go into foster care." He adds in, watching me nod at him.

"Yeah, foster care is tough." I quietly say, noticing Zach's head lift up.

"You've been in the system before?" He asks me. I'm quiet for a long time, thinking about the time that a social worker attempted to separate Jeremy and I after she did a welfare check on the house and found my brother and I home alone without barely any food in the fridge. When asked how long we had been without our mother, I being just a little girl blurted out "Almost five days." Our mom had driven up to a casino to blow all of our late father's life insurance money with her boyfriend at the time. And, she had left my brother and I alone without a second thought because she was too strung out and buzzed to even care. It eventually was only a temporary thing at the time, going into the system. Before, the same social worker found bruises on my arms and on my brother's. She then came back and took us out of the house for good, just two years after the first incident.

"Yeah, I spent three years at a foster home. My brother and I did before my mother tried to get her act together, for the millionth time and get us back. It was okay. But, I wish I could have had what Stefan and Damon did. Someone to care enough to pull me out of the bad situation." My eyes shift from Zach and back to Stefan as he watches me rub my hand over my face.

"I tried the best I could with them." He states, leaning forward and placing his elbows on to his knees, glancing over at me.

"Listen to me, talking about my life with these two and I haven't asked you your name yet. I apologize." He says.

Zach watches me extend out my hand, leaning forward in my seat as well and narrowing my eyes at him. "Elena Gilbert. It's very nice to meet you, Zach Salvatore. I'm honored to be in the presence of such an amazing man."

"I'm not that great, Elena. I just stepped in when they needed me, raising them on my own when I knew nothing about being a parent. Like, I said. I did the best that I could do. That's all." He says with a humble tone.

"Well, you should be proud because you raised them both to be very good guys." I reply to him, releasing his hand as he leans back into his seat and grins. "Thank you. And, Miss Gilbert. Whoever raised you. Raised one very caring and darling young woman. I'm happy to know that Stefan has you in his life." He states, smiling at me as I return the gesture and we both sit across from each other, staring with hopeful glances in our eyes while we turn to both focus in on Stefan's breathing and the machines surrounding him.

* * *

Zach left shortly after, watching me follow him out, grabbing my cell phone.

My head leans back against the wall, sinking down the rough texture of it and sitting on the floor. My legs are spread out in front of me. I'm just a few inches away from Stefan's hospital room door in case any of the monitors go off and I need to call a nurse.

"It's me." I quietly state when I bring the phone to my ear, hearing him sigh a loud exhale of relief.

"Where have you been? Luke said you were at a hospital." Jeremy says as I glance up to see a few nurses and doctors rushing through the nearly empty hallway.

"I'm in Utica, New York. At a hospital. Luke was pretty right about that." I comment, hearing him inhale sharply.

"Elena, this guy that you've been babysitting there. I know he's a friend. But, you should come home. Mom's been falling apart since you left. She's worried that you were dead. When, I told her that you were at some damn hospital because of some guy. She told me that I needed to come up to wherever you are and bring you back home. Mom said you shouldn't be there." He tells me scoldingly with an underlined pleading tone.

"I'm not leaving. And, I am not babysitting him, Jeremy. He was injured and he's my friend. He needs me. What if it was Anna?" I shoot back at him, causing abrupt silence between us.

My brother's quiet for a long time. "He's not your boyfriend, Elena. God damn it! Come home!" He sounds so much like my father in the moment, whenever dad would yell at us for something that it makes my blood boil and causes me to become even more irritated with him.

"I don't care. If it was Anna you wouldn't leave, for one damn second. You wouldn't go anywhere. Now, tell mom that I'm fine and I'll be home in a few days. Besides, I'm not her babysitter, Jer. She said she was capable of taking care of herself." My voice is filled with irritation and annoyance as I place the phone against my chest and hold it there for a minute, trying to calm myself down before lifting it up to my ear again.

"Are you in love with him, Elena? Is that why you're still there?" He asks. I grit my teeth, inhaling a breath and exhaling it slowly. I don't know how to reply to that question. Do I tell him the truth? Do I lie? Although, if I lied, I'd just be lying to myself.

I close my eyes tightly, answering him so fast that deep down I know that I'll probably regret ever admitting my true feelings for Stefan to my brother, somewhere down the road. "Yes, I am. I'm falling in love with him, Jer. I know it's crazy because I barely know him. But, I can't leave him right now. He needs me, he needs someone here with him when he wakes up. And, to be honest. I want it to be me. And, it's not just my feelings for him that are making me stay. He saved my life, Jer. I owe him that much just to be here for him."

I can hear the disappointment in his voice, seeping into his words. "You're just his friend, Elena. Remember that for when he wakes up because I would hate to see you wasting your time on a guy that doesn't like you as much as you clearly like him. Listen, I need to get going. I'll be in touch and I'll tell mom to call you or something. Just, keep your phone on and don't dodge my calls."

My tired body cautiously lurches forward when I finally get up off the floor and dust my pants off, yawning while I step back into Stefan's room. I glance up at him slowly, swallowing the lump in my throat. It's been a week, going on almost two weeks as Zach had said. And, there's barely been any progress. He's twitched a little bit. But, the nurses have said that those are just his muscles and nerves reacting.

"No improvement yet." The same older looking nurse who is about in her late 40s, named Brenda that has been keeping an eye on him ever since he first was rushed into the hospital says softly. She knocks lightly on the door as she stares over at me, putting my cell phone back into my purse. "No, not yet." I tell her, biting down on the inside of my cheek.

"You can talk to him though, you know. Like you would if he was awake. They say that sometimes, that helps patients who are in these situations." She explains, writing something down on the chart in her hands and checking his vital signs. Brenda huffs out a breath, shaking her head as I watch her straight blonde hair sway against the middle of her back and her blue eyes catch my gaze.

"He's so young to be in this situation. It's sad you know, watching these young men nearly die for a job that they love so much. I'm rooting for him though. He's got really good vital signs. Stefan's got a chance. Your boyfriend is going to be fine." She tells me, glancing down at my left hand, giving me a small frown.

"Maybe when he gets out of here, he'll make you his wife. He'd be crazy not to. You two seem good for each other." She states, pivoting on her heels as I avoid her stares. I'm starting to feel guilty for lying about my relationship to him. But, Brenda's been nice enough to allow me to stay in Stefan's room with him for almost the whole time that he's been here and for that, I'm thankful.

I shrug my shoulders back, keeping up the charade. "Yeah, maybe." I quietly tell her, watching as she leaves. It takes me a few minutes to go through his things that he was brought in with to find it. I'm quickly rummaging through a few things that Brenda had given me that were on Stefan when they brought him in. There's a watch that I'm sure have his dad's initials on the back. His cell phone and when I get to the black sweatshirt that's in the clear bag, my hands stop as I pull out his wallet, placing it on the chair. But, what catches me most off guard is a picture. The one that I had given Stefan at the charity event. It's untarnished, wrapped in this protective film as my fingers run over it.

"I meant what I wrote on the back of this, Stefan. I want you to be safe. I don't want to lose you. Truth is, I can't lose you because so far in my messed up life, you are the only thing keeping me from falling apart. You mean more to me than you'll ever understand. And, I can't not tell you, that I'm falling in love with you, Stefan. And, nothing matters right now because you're not here with me. So, please if you're still in there. Please, come back to me." My voice cracks as I pull up a chair, my hand still clutching the picture as my other hand grabs a hold of his, tightly squeezing and releasing his hand. But, just as my fingers unravel from his I gasp when his fingers twitch and I look down to realize that his hand is gripping mine firmly. My brown teary eyes become blurred with moisture when my gaze shifts up slowly. I see it then, his eyelids flutter open, his green eyes staring back at me with such intensity and worry as he tries to speak and all I can do is shout out Brenda's name hurriedly.

She rushes inside, telling me to take a step back as I hear her order for her colleague to call a doctor so that they can check Stefan's vitals and take him off of the breathing machine. "He's breathing on his own, which is good. Listen, you need to step outside. I'll come and get you when you can come back to see him." She instructs, the doctor and another nurse all crowding around Stefan as I'm shoved out of the way and told to go wait.

* * *

"He's awake, Damon." I comment, rushing over to Bonnie and Damon who are walking towards Stefan's room the same moment that I step out of it. His blue eyes are filled with relief, gripping Bonnie's hand he exhales deeply and suddenly pulls me into a tight hug. "Thank god." He states, his arms still around me when we all turn around to the sound of someone clearing his voice and he walks towards us in his white lab coat.

"I'm doctor Anderson. I've been treating Stefan Salvatore since he came in. Can I speak with Damon Salvatore, alone please?" He asks, seeing as Bonnie and I nod, holding each other's hands as we step out of the waiting room. The doors are open and we both overhear Dr. Anderson speaking with a firm and confident tone to Damon. "Your brother is breathing on his own now and seems to be doing okay, cognitively. His memory is a bit spotty. Although, I'm fairly positive that all of that will return within time, in pieces." He says, I turn back towards the glass windows, looking in to see Damon hug the doctor as well.

"When can we see him?" He asks eagerly, taking a step back from the doctor as I watch him purse his lips together, glancing down at his chart and then back up at Damon. "I can only allow one visitor into his room at time." He answers.

I can see Damon run his fingers through his hair, lifting up his hand. "Great." He adds in, patting the younger dark brown haired young man named Dr. Anderson on his shoulder before turning away and coming back into the hallway to stand in front of Bonnie and I.

"Elena, I want you to go first." He instructs, making my head snap up from my lock on my unpolished fingernails.

"Me? Damon, I can't do that. You're his brother. You should go first." I try arguing, watching Damon step in front of me. He places both of his hands on to my shoulders firmly, gripping them just a bit. "I know that I am and as much as I want to rush to be the first one in there. You should go first." He says again, reluctant to my words of telling him to be the first one inside of Stefan's room.

I swallow the lump forming in my throat. "It's okay." He encourages, taking a step to the side and looking over at me as I slowly lift my feet up off the ground, making small steps towards the room. My hands are sweating, my head spinning and I'm nervous all over again. I can feel the butterflies increase tenfold as I push open the slightly adjured door to his room and step inside.

The lights are lowered, making the room dimly lit as my footsteps slowly approach his bed. Stefan's bed is still lowered, his eyes are closed and I swear for a moment that he's probably sleeping, until he inhales deeply and a small smile spreads across his lips. He doesn't even open his eyes when he says my name with a husky and rasp filled tone, coughing deeply.

"Elena." He stops speaking for a moment, reaching out his hand to me and wiggling his fingers. I watch his head turn to me. The tubes that had kept him breathing and alive are all gone now. And, all that remains are just an IV in his right hand and another line that is keeping his blood pressure in check. Stefan gives me a lopsided small smile when his eyes flutter open to look at me. But it quickly leaves his mouth when he licks his dried and chapped lips before he speaks. "What happened?"

I grab a hold of his hand, fearful of saying anything as I feel his fingers touch with mine and then he locks his gaze on to me. His green eyes are hazy. But, they're focused on my every move when he tries to speak. But, nothing comes out of his mouth except for a small gasp that leaves his vocal cords. I slowly lower my body to sit down in the chair behind me, holding on to his hand loosely.

"Elena, what happened to me? " He asks again, his gleeful expression fading fast when he secures his glance on to me and I look around the room, biting down on my lower lip.

"You were in an accident, Stefan." I tell him, feeling his hand tighten around mine. He breathes out a shaky breath, looking around the room. He's silent for a long time, looking down at our hands. "The last thing I remember was being with you at the fire house. And, then we went out on this call and everything was burning all around us." He recalls, a solemn look appearing across his face when he heavily exhales. His eyes close tightly as he turns back to me and asks in a soft voice. "Daniel's dead, isn't he?" He whispers softly, his voice cracking when he asks with a broken tone. "You can tell me. Please, Elena. Tell me. Is Daniel dead?"

I shake my head, my eyes close and I can feel the hot tears escape when I mumble out. "He didn't make it, Stefan. I am so sorry." The reaction on his face is vacant, he's distant from me as he releases my hand and I watch his own hands become balled into fists as he shouts out with an angered tone. "Daniel, my brother's best friend is dead. A mother lost her son, a fiancé lost the man that she was supposed to live out the rest of her life with because, we were never supposed to be in that area. And, it's all because of Patrick!" He screams, causing my whole body to become numb at his words. Stefan turns to his side, sobbing into the pillow behind him as I stand beside his bed, too frozen in place to move from my position, the only thing that I'm able to do is lift my hand and gently stroke his back, trying to keep him calm.

I watch him turn back to me after a good ten minutes, tears glazing over his green eyes as he pulls me close. I can feel his weakened arms wrap around the middle of my stomach while he cries into the fabric of my shirt, clinging on to me as if I'm the only thing from keeping him from downing in his own misery. I unravel his arms from me without much of an effort after a few minutes, taking a step back and watching him move over as he pleads with me. "Stay. Please just stay here with me. Elena, I know you don't think I do. But, I need you."

I don't say a word, just nod slowly as he watches me move the blankets back. My tired body slides into the bed with him. Stefan turns to me carefully, seeing me resting my head on his pillow and locking my gaze on to his, as we lay side by side. We're so close that I can feel his breath washing over my face. He watches me eyes close and then, I feel him lift his hand to caress my cheek when I hear him say in a voice that's just above a whisper. "I've missed you so much, beautiful girl."

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are always appreciated. :)**

**Follow me on Twitter for updates or to chat about my stories at: BePassionate_24**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	16. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who is reviewing, following and favoriting. You guys are awesome! Lots of cuteness and feels in this chapter. :)  
**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

** Before You Were Mine- Chapter Fifteen **

**-Stefan-**

_I can smell the fire burning everywhere, the clouds of dark smoke and ash making it hard to see as we walked through the wooded and forestry areas._

_"You know, if we make it out of this, I'm going to take Mel to Vegas and we're just going to get married there. Screw the whole family tradition crap." Daniel said, breathing through his oxygen mask as I watched him pat Damon on the shoulder._

_"What about you, Damon?" Tyler asked, stepped to Daniel's right side as he looked out at the vast acreage that was burning while we prepared the trucks and water hoses._

_"Well, I'm planning on throwing Bonnie a nice big wedding with close friends and family. I'm a bit on the traditional side. Ty, didn't you and Caroline get married at a court house?" Damon asked with a laugh as I looked on, turning back around to walk back to one of the guys from the one of the many firehouses that had joined us to fight this massive wildfire._

_"We got married in her mom's backyard. You were there." Tyler stated, sighing out a breath and pulling down his face shield as Damon shrugged. I could hear my brother mumble out loud. "I don't remember much of it..I must have been pretty drunk. And, for that apologize if I tried to hit on your wife."_

_With my back turned just slightly, I could hear the cracking in the distance. First, a tree branch, then a few more and just as I turned back around fully to warn them all. The two large evergreen trees near the three of them came crashing down at full speed. I watch with a paralyzed fear as they crash down upon them, I can hear their screaming inside of my ears and the buzzing noise of the loud booming echoing throughout the forest._

"No, No..Daniel. Stay with me! Tyler, wake up. Please, man. Wake up!" I'm screaming, thrashing about as I feel something heavy holding me down, the same feeling is on my cheeks. The feeling is warm and soft upon my skin as so is her calm voice, telling me that I'm dreaming. "Stefan, wake up. It's okay. Shhh..It's okay, it's just a dream. It's just a dream." She says with a reassuring tone. My eyes open just a little bit with tears glazed over them. Elena leans forward, wiping away my tears with her thumbs as she gives me a sorrowful look.

"You're okay, Stefan. I promise. You're safe because you are here with me." She tells me as my eyes open up wider and I realize that I'm still in the hospital. I'm still in my bed and one of my arms is draped lazily over Elena's waistline.

"You're okay." She smiles, lifting up her hand and caressing my cheek as I watch her lay back down on the same side she had been on earlier.

"I'm sorry." I reply back, adjusting myself too so that we're still laying close to each other. We're silent and our bodies are now turned towards one another. She's staring at me cautiously as I clear my throat, wanting to say something, anything at all to kick this awkward feeling between us. However, Elena speaks first.

"Hey, it's okay..Stefan, honestly it's fine." She says softly, covering up her body and then mine with the blanket that's fallen down below to her hips. "Listen, there's something that I've been wanting to say to you for a few days now and I just didn't know how to say it because- you died on me."

My eyebrows scrunch up, my face contorts and I'm trying to understand what she's saying to me. But, Elena backs away before I can even open my mouth. I watch her get up from the bed and as she does, she runs her fingers through her hair. "You died in this room, twice during the week I was here. I thought that I was going to lose you and that I'd never be able to tell you how I felt." She recalls, sorrow on her face as she sighs out a breath and glances down at the floor.

"How you felt about what?" I hear myself asking her, because I'm a bit confused as to what she's even talking about. Maybe it's the drugs, or maybe I'm trying to wrap my mind around the idea of Elena actually being interested in me. It could be a little bit of both.

"About you, about us." She flatly clarifies, her cheeks getting redder and she begins to blush as she slowly makes her way back to the bed and sits back against the pillows. Her legs are swung over again and she's got her head turned so that she's staring at me nervously. "I like you, Stefan. And, those feelings just aren't going away. I've tried to ignore them, I've tried to stop thinking about you. But, whatever I do, you're in the back of my mind, always."

I'm smiling. Feeling wanted by someone that you have developed feelings for over the last few weeks is an amazing thing to feel. Being loved and having that in return is indescribable. Although, why do I feel like if I tell her, right now that I feel the same way that it'd ruin things. So, I don't say anything. Elena just watches me lift my hand up and caress her cheek. She blushes even more and I can feel her body tense as she sharply inhales.

"I have a confession to make." She says in a quiet tone, narrowing her eyes at her hands that are in her lap. "And, maybe it's stupid. Maybe it's too soon for me to feel like this. But, I can't help it. Stefan," She pauses, turning her head so that her eyes are locked on to mine when she mumbles out. "It's stupid because I barely know you."

"What's stupid?" I ask her with a curious tone as she nervously runs her hands through her hair. "Me, being here as if it's going to change anything. Like, you're going to tell me you feel the same way."

"Elena, I've lost you. What are you talking about?" I ask her. Elena lifts her hands up in defeat as she gets up. Her back is turned away from me and towards the door as she huffs out a breath and then pivots back on her heels to face me. She's got this embarrassed look on her face, like she's ashamed of what she's going to admit. But, I notice her fingers curl in against her palms as she shrugs her shoulders back and walks towards the hospital room door like she's ready to run out of it. "Truth is, Stefan Salvatore. I'm falling in love with you." Elena confesses briskly, stepping out of the room without looking back at my reaction and clearly leaving both of us reeling from her words as I watch dumbfounded while the door slams shut behind her.

* * *

**-Caroline-**

I keep staring at my wedding band, twirling it around my fingers and just praying for a miracle to happen. She can't take him away from me. Yes, Carol is his mother but he's also my husband and she just, she can't take him away. A light knock on the door makes me jump out of my skin as I turn around to glance up at whoever the visitor is. If it's Carol, I'm prepared to send her motherly ass packing!

"I just wanted to see how he was doing." Matt says, pushing the door open and giving me a saddened look. He's visibly shaken by everything and his steps are slow into the room, cautiously observing me.

"I figured that you probably haven't eaten yet. So, I brought some bagels from a deli nearby with some cream cheese too." He explains, placing them on to the small table near the entrance door as I hear his footsteps get closer.

"His mother wants to kill him." I blurt out, not really meaning exactly that. But, that's just how I feel.

"What?" Matt questions, pulling up a chair to sit down beside me as he places his arms in between his knees. "Caroline, what do you mean?" He asks, curiosity in his tone.

"She said he's a DNR and so if Tyler were to go into cardiac arrest or if they placed him on life support, which they haven't yet. But, if they do...Carol Lockwood is his power of attorney and she'd pull the plug on my husband. Her, only son." I tell him with a numb and distant tone, tears glazing over my eyes.

"She's still here you know, talking to the doctors. I saw her before I came into the room." Matt says, watching as I push up from the chair that has practically become my bed.

"I'll be right back." I tell him flatly, rushing out of the room and straight towards Carol who's half way down the hall. I must catch her off guard because her eyes are full of bewilderment and she looks stunned as I stand in front of her, pleading. Spilling my heart and my words out for the one man that I've loved more than anyone in all my young years of life.

"He's your son and I understand that you don't want him to suffer. I understand that it's hard for you to see him like this. But, he's my husband, damn it! He's my husband and I made a vow to him when I was only 18 years old. I promised myself to him, through thick and thin. So, I can't let you decide if he lives or dies...I can't do that Carol. I'm sorry but I'm going to fight you about this because I refuse to give up on your son. I refuse to believe that he's gone and that he's never coming back to me. And, you're right. I might not be a mother, but I sure as hell would never let my child die if I knew that I have yet to try everything in my power to save them." I tell her, watching as her eyes become glazed over and she abruptly leans against me.

She's clutching me for dear life and sobbing against my shirt. "Richard, Tyler father. Said that I should be made his power of attorney. But, I never wanted it, Caroline. I don't want to decide if he lives or dies. I want him to live and what kind of mother would that make me if I wanted my son to die? But, Caroline, it's not fair..It's not fair because he's my only son. He's my only son and he should have never been in this mess. He should have never been in the mountains with them." She sobs as we stand in the middle of the hallway and she continues to hold on to me as I slowly wrap her into my embrace swallowing the lump in my throat and burying my own face into the curve of her neck as I softly reply back the only thing that comes to mind. "I know, I know."

* * *

"How did it go?" Matt asks me, watching as I wipe my tears with the back of my hand and exhale deeply.

"It was a disaster. But, I think we both found a common ground. It was her husband that made her the power of attorney for Tyler. He never really liked me and so, when we got married. He told Carol to keep everything as it was, just in case I left him when things got tough. We married young at 18. And, now here we are at the age of 20 and we're dealing with this. I can't start giving up on him, Matt." I tell him, sinking down in my chair as he looks over at Tyler and I watch the rise and fall of his chest. Matt notices me grab a hold of his hand, tightening my grip.

"Wake up, babe. I'm here and I'm not leaving until you wake up. Do you hear me? I'm not going anywhere." I say out loud, choking on my emotions as I reach out to touch his hand and feel his fingers squeeze mine back. "Did you see that?" I gasp, looking over at Matt as he nods. "Yeah, I did." He remarks, glancing down at our hands as I place a little bit more pressure on his fingertips. There's a weakened sense of feeling in his hands. But, I can feel Tyler's fingers lightly curl around mine. My eyes widen and the tears that I had tried so damn hard to push back are already making another appearance as I inhale deeply.

"Tyler, I love you. Please, baby let me know that you're still in there, open your eyes." I encourage him, feeling the weakened feeling of his fingers around mine tighten a little more and then it happens. His head slowly begins to move and then his arms.

"Tyler, babe!" I near shout out, shifting my gaze from his hand up to his face as his eyelids flutter open and I see him struggling to keep them open.

"Matt, go get a nurse. Hurry up!" I shout at him, watching Matt stumble to his feet as he runs out of the room and into the hallway, asking frantically for a nurse to come to my husbands room.

"Tyler." I sob, leaning my head against his chest and clutching on to his left hand, intertwining our hands together so that our wedding bands are side by side with each others. "You came back to me." I mumble out through a raw tone that barely makes it out of my vocal cords before a nurse rushes into the room and I look over just at the right time to catch the look of relief in Carol Lockwood's eyes as she stands just outside of his hospital room, leaning her back against the wall and sending out a silent prayer.

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

We haven't talked about wedding plans. I don't even have a ring yet. And, with everything going on lately. It makes sense that we haven't really touched on the subject just yet. However, when Damon grabs my hand, pulling me out of whatever trance I have. I'm brought back to our reality as he smiles at me. "Earth to my fiancee." He grins as he says it, this beaming smile across his face.

"Yeah, I'm listening." I tell him, watching as he rests our hands side by side on the table, sighing when he lifts himself up just a little from his seat and I watch an old looking antique blue diamond and circular cut diamond ring drop on to the table. "It was my mothers." He says sadly, glancing up at me as he shrugs and continues to explain.

"I've held on to it for a long time, took it to nearly every job with me because I was waiting for the right time to ask you. And, since you already said yes. I figured that maybe I could give you this ring as a temporary one until I find a nicer replacement." He tells me nervously, lifting up my hand off the table and into his own touch.

"I don't need a replacement. It was your mothers. Damon, I want it." I tell him with a sweet smile, watching as he lifts my left hand up gently, slipping on the tarnished and old looking engagement ring. I glance down at it as he frowns, explaining. "It needs to be taken to a jewelers and cleaned."

I shrug my shoulders back, lifting up my hand and smiling as I add. "It's fine, because it's perfect." I say out loud, leaning over the table and kissing his lips gently, wiping my lip gloss off his lips as he too matches my own giddy expression.

"We're going to be married and an old couple in no time." He jokes, coming to the realization that this is exactly what I've been waiting on for three years.

"Yeah, we are." I laugh, leaning back into my seat as I grab a hold of his hand and secure my gaze on to him. "I love you, Damon."

He lifts my hand up to his lips and kisses my knuckles, speaking against them. "I love you too, soon to be Mrs. Bonnie Salvatore."

He clears his throat, still smiling as he drops my hand and then asks. "So, when should we start planning the wedding?"

I laugh, not even sure why I say it out loud. But, I do and the mood between us suddenly changes as I smile and suggest. "Maybe next year or something. Damon, we need time to see if this is even going to work between us. I mean, don't get me wrong. I want to be your wife. But, being a fiancee is taking our relationship to a whole new level that's just a bit scary. So, an adjustment period would be nice. You know something like, not jumping straight to the wedding and becoming husband and wife right away would be nice."

* * *

**-Elena-**

"You can't just tell me how you feel about me and walk out like that." Stefan says opening the door to his hospital room as I lean against the wall in the nearly empty hallway, seeing him struggling to walk over to me with his weakened legs.

"You should be in bed." I point out, watching him support his weight off of the door frame. He leans his head against it, sighing out a pained breath and looking up at the chipping white paint on the door.

"And, you should come back in here so that we can talk about this." He orders, his tone filled with a small hint of annoyance.

"What's there to talk about? Stefan, you'd never fall for me. I'm just some girl that sat by your side and watched you die twice. I prayed for you and I never left. I'm just a girl that can't be loved by anyone because I screw it up. Everything. I can't get close to you or anyone for that matter because of it. As much as I want to allow myself to love you and to be loved by you. I know that I shouldn't because I'd be risking too much." I hear myself rambling, watching from the corner of my eye as Stefan lifts his hand up, caressing my cheek gently again. His other hand is supporting his weak and fragile body as he smiles.

"If you don't want to risk it. I will. I'd risk putting my heart on the line for you. Because, even if you don't want to believe it. You're worth it, Elena." He concludes, smiling a lopsided grin as my head slowly turns to look up at him with a total confusion on my features.

"Just give me some time to get better and heal up. And, once we can break me out of here. I want us to go out on a proper first date. You know, a date that involves all that cute stuff that couples do. Hand holding, stealing nervous glances across the table at each other, and dinner. And, I'll even make sure to wear something nice, kiss you goodnight and bring you flowers." His words make me smile so much that my cheeks begin to hurt as I turn towards him fully. We stand near the door for a while longer as I realize that he's having a hard time standing on his own.

"Let's get you back to bed, Casanova." I joke, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as he leans into me and smiles.

"I like you, Elena." He says, a content expression on his face as we make the short distance back to his bed and when I help him back on to it. I nearly fall over into his lap. Stefan's arm catches me though, wrapping around me tightly as he smirks.

"You can let me go now." I tell him, glancing down to where his arm is resting, against my hip as his fingers gently stroke the bare skin that's exposed with the rising of my shirt.

I inhale deeply, a shaky breath. "I like you, a lot. Miss Gilbert." He purrs into my ear, my eyes close and I swallow down my emotions. I'm pissed that my own body is betraying me when it comes to him.

"I know you do. But, how about you tell me that when you can think clearly and the drugs aren't talking for you." I tell him, hearing him laugh as I get up and lower down my shirt, seeing a frown appear on Stefan's face.

"I'm not high." He remarks with an argumentative tone, leaning back into the pillows on the bed and patting the empty space beside him.

"Sure, you're not. You nearly just poured your heart out to me. That's just odd for you. Very odd, in fact. So, I've come to the conclusion that you're probably still high from the morphine." I tell him, hearing him turn his head to me, a saddened look on his face.

"The sheets are cold without you laying here." He states, patting the space beside him again.

"Stefan.." I say his name is a warning tone as he lifts his arms up above his head, a serious look on his face. "I'm not going to try anything. I swear. I just-." I cut him off.

"You just what?" I ask, my arms hugging my stomach as I take a step back.

"I just like waking up to seeing you beside me." He admits, giving me one of his signature smiles.

"What does that even mean?" I question, tilting my head to the side, taunting him.

"It means that as much as you're scared of being vulnerable around me. To be honest. I'm scared too, Elena. But, I like having you here with me and I like that I'm letting you break down these walls. I like seeing your beautiful smiling face when I open my eyes, I like knowing that you want to stay with me and that you care enough not to leave me." He says, watching as I slip my shoes off, huffing out a loud sigh as I lay down beside him again, my head on his pillow as Stefan lifts his arms up and pulls me closer towards him. "I'm your friend who has a crush on you, Stefan. And, since I am your friend. I wanted to stay." I tell him.

Our foreheads are touching, our eyes are secured on each other and our lips are just inches away as he says. " What can I do to change your mind about being more than my friend. Because, right now I'm trying really hard not to kiss you."

I shake my head, licking my lips. It's stupid to taunt him like this because he's clearly still under the influence of the pain killers. But, I can't help it. "You wouldn't kiss me. But, I'd like to see you try." I comment sleepily as if he won't really try anything. But then I hear him adjust his arm. Stefan lifts his hand to cup my chin with his palm. I can feel him tracing the outline of my jawline as he moves his aching body towards me, little by little.

"You're so gorgeous and I just want to say thank you." I hear him murmur out loud as his hand slips into my hair and he brings his lips towards mine, smiling when I close my eyes at his touch and then I feel his warm lips upon my own. His mouth leaves a sweet sensual kiss against my own that makes my heart beat pick up. He backs away slowly, the tip of his finger gliding up and down my cheek when he adds in. "Thank you, for staying with me. Even if I did scare you."

My eyes open just slightly as I too take my hand and place it on his stubble covered cheek, running my fingers over the prickly skin.

"You're welcome. I guess I just couldn't picture being anywhere else but here." I tell him, turning around so that my back his facing him as I feel Stefan pull me close to his body. He kisses the top of my head as he speaks against me, placing his arm over my stomach and wrapping it around me so that my back is against his chest. I hear him whisper out in a soft and sleepy tone, before sleep begins to over take us both once again. "And, I wouldn't want you to be anywhere else. But, here with me."

* * *

**A/N: Where can I find myself a cute guy like Stefan? ;P**

**Reviews are always gladly appreciated and I love knowing what you all think about this story. So, feel free to leave me one.**

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**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	17. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Hey all. So, I just wanted to say that these next few weeks are going to be pretty crazy for me. I start college (after being away for almost a year) in a few weeks and so, my writing schedule is going to be fairly spaced out. However, I do plan on trying to fit at least 2 of my stories in during each week and updating 2 of them at a time, instead of all 4 at once. Anyways, I just wanted to let you all know so that you guys don't think that I just gave up if I don't update for a while.  
**

**With that being said, here's some more adorable Stelena for you all. ;)**

**Enjoy & thanks so much for reading! **

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Sixteen **

**-Stefan-**

It's been three days since they released me from the hospital and I can't even sleep in my own damn bed. I've tried the couch. Yet, to no avail. Sleep won't take over and I've about had it. So, I guess that's why I find myself at 11:30 pm watching trashy TV, with an ice cold water since I can't have a beer because of the medication. Although, that sounds like it would help with the damn nightmares and restlessness.

I'm already settling in for the night as I bury my head into the soft and over fluffed pillow on my right side. My eyelids are just about to get heavy enough and just when I think I'm about to drift off. I hear a thud outside of my apartment door and then a few knocks with a rapid "thup, thup, thup." sequence.

I've been paranoid lately, dead bolted the door and made sure it was locked about three times before I went into the bedroom to try and get some sleep. Thank god for the peephole in the door though, once I move towards it. I see her, standing there with her brown hair a mess, she almost looks like she's been crying.

I unlock the door hurriedly, glancing down at myself to make sure that I'm wearing sweats pants and when I deem myself okay enough to open the door in what I'm wearing, I do.

My eyes meet hers and notice that hers are blood shot and covered with moisture. She's sniffling and her arms are crossed over her chest. She's wearing this red fluffy jacket, the smell of her perfume consumes my thoughts as Elena finally looks up at me and shrugs her shoulders back. "I thought you could use someone to watch after you. You did just get out of the hospital and the department did put you on leave for like two weeks, was it? " She says in a quiet tone, shuffling her feet inside of her black converse shoes as she stands outside of the door and in the hallway with a bag dropped down by her feet.

"Elena, I.." My lips purse together, I close my eyes. I can't turn her away right now. There's clearly more to the story that I'm not asking about. So, instead my hand catches the door and I sigh. "Come on in. It's a mess and I've been sleeping like shit lately. But, I'm glad to see you here."

She gives me a saddened smile, picking up her bag off the ground and stepping cautiously into the living room. "I've been sleeping like crap lately too." She says mostly to herself as I notice her struggling with her bag. My hand brushes against her cold skin as she shivers a little from the warmth of my fingers when I pull the bag away from her and carry it inside of the apartment, slung over my shoulder.

"Not that I don't enjoy your company. But, it's almost midnight and here you are. At my doorstep. What's going on?" I ask her curiously, not wanting to pry because I'm silently hoping that she's not going to say what I think she is. Although, part of me knows what she's doing here- deep down, I know.

She leans her hand against the back of my couch, slipping off her converse one by one. I watch them hit the ground as she stands up straight, closing her eyes and fighting the tears back. "He came back, Stefan. My step dad came back this morning and now he's got her all strung out again. She's drinking and we got into a fight tonight..." Elena's voice cracks as she looks me over and then speaks in a voice that's just above a whisper. "She hit me for telling him that he should leave us alone." Elena reveals, pushing her hair back and revealing a deep red and purplish mark that's without a doubt going to turn into a bruise on her right cheek.

She looks back behind her nervously as I stand just feet away, my arms crossed over my chest with a saddened look in my eyes while I listen to her keep talking. "So, I got into my car and I don't even know what brought me to you, all the way on the other side of town. Believe me, this wasn't my first choice. I should have gone to my brother's and not bother you with this. I texted him and he didn't reply back. But for some reason, I came here. Hoping you'd still be awake."

Elena licks her lip, squinting her eyes. She watches me brush past her for a minute, walking into the kitchen and opening the freezer. I end up taking a medium sized bag of frozen carrots from it as I break up the pieces a bit with my hands. "Sit down or lay down over there." I instruct, pointing to the couch and catching from my peripheral vision as she tilts her head to the side.

"You're not going to kick me out and tell me to go back home or to Jeremy's. Are you?" She asks, a worry in her dark brown eyes. I slowly make my way back into the living room, wiping my wet hands off of the cotton thin white t-shirt that I'm wearing.

I shake my head, a small smile tugging across my lips. "I'm too tired to kick you out tonight. So, you can stay." I tell her, relief flooding her features as she slowly takes a seat on one of the squeaky cushions on the dark brown couch in my living room.

"I'm sorry for bothering you like this." She tells me, watching as I sit beside her, carefully lifting my hand up to her cheek with the cold pack of carrots in my hand. "It's all I had. You'd think for someone who lives alone that I'd have ice. But, I forgot to freeze some." I tell her with a small smile, watching as Elena lifts her own hand up, covering my hand with her own.

"It's okay." She says, closing her eyes as she leans her head back and exhales deeply. "I'm really sorry." She tells me with a tired tone as I lean back beside her, pulling Elena's body a bit closer to mine so that she can rest her head on my shoulder.

"Elena, stop saying that. You didn't do anything. I couldn't sleep anyways. The nightmares are really shitty these days. So, I stayed awake writing for a while until I came out here to watch TV." Her eyes shift towards my face as I watch her shoulders slump and she keeps her head against it.

"You write?" She asks, curiosity in her tone. I nod, not wanting to go into much detail because it sounds pretty ridiculous that a young 21 year old writes in his journal about his shitty days and not too long ago, I started writing about _her._ But, I'm not going to tell her that- not yet.

"Yeah, about the things I see on the job. The stuff that keeps me awake at night. Lately, it's been about the accident." I comment nonchalantly as she nods at me, clearing her throat.

"I write too. A lot. About my mom, about everything. Including you." She states with an honest tone as I lock my eyes on to her, still holding the ice pack of carrots on her face. Elena inches her face closer to mine as I smile at her. "Well, if we're being honest with each other. I started writing about you, the day after I saved your life. I couldn't get you out of my head for days." I tell her, watching as she sleepily gives me a grin. I can feel her breath against my own face. Her warm lips are so close to mine that if I lean forward, I could kiss her. But, I stop myself. Instead, my hand lifts up and I gently touch her left cheek, the one that's reddened because she's blushing.

"I'm falling in love with you, Stefan." She reiterates her words from just days ago when I was too high on pain medication to really remember what she was saying, or what I was saying for that matter. I do remember being so tempted to kiss her as she laid beside me on the hospital bed. In fact, I remember kissing her. I just don't remember what the hell I said to her, before or after it happened.

My heart beat can be heard through my ears like a drum as my hand moves down to the tips of her hair and I spin a few strands of the pin straight soft as silk strands in between my fingers. "What am I going to do with you?" I ask her in a playful tone as she inches her face closer. Elena's dark brown eyes are boring into my green gaze. "I don't know. You decide." She says, purposefully keeping her head on my shoulder, staring up at me and licking her lips.

"Elena, I can't be stupid with you. If we start something up. I can't be stupid with you and hurt you because you mean too much to me." I tell her sternly as she lifts her hand up, running her thumb over the slowly healing gash above my left eyebrow.

"I know. And, you won't be." She reassures me, leaning forward and kissing my lips gingerly. My hand slides into her hair, inhaling deeply against her lips as my mouth applies pressure to hers and I deepened the kiss between us. My arm lowers down to the small of her back as I gently guide her down on the couch so that she's laying flat against it and I'm hovering over her. Elena sheepishly looks up at me with wide eyes and a smile.

"We're both vulnerable right now and it wouldn't be right to sleep with you. Right here, right now. Even though, every single cell and nerve in my body is telling me that it's what we both want. I can tell that you want it too just by the way your hands are gripping me." I tell her, noticing the tight grip she has around me release. Elena turns her face, burying it into the pillow behind her, mumbling "Sorry."

"You don't need to hide from me, Elena. I just, I don't want to take advantage of the state your in. We're not thinking clearly. If and when we do get to that point in our relationship. I want it to be something you'll never forget between us." I comment, watching as she looks back up at me, starry eyed and a little dazed. The bruise on her cheek is still very prominent and when I gently brush my finger over it, she inhales sharply.

"You can stay with me tonight, in my bed. You don't need to sleep on the couch." I tell her, pushing up and sitting on my knees as Elena lifts her upper body using the arm rest and stares back at me. "Stefan, about earlier..."

I lean forward, extending out my hand to her and kissing her knuckles. "Don't worry about it. Let's just go to sleep." I comment, pulling her into me as we stand in the living room and she turns to me, hearing me inhale deeply as her hand strokes my bruised up ribs.

"Come on." I tell her, intertwining our fingers together and shutting off the light in the room as Elena follows me into my bedroom. It's a mess, clothing on the floor and bottles of pain medications are scattered on an end table near the bed. It looks like I haven't cleaned in weeks.

Elena turns around towards me, placing her hands on to my shoulders, locking her eyes on to me as she gazes nervously back at the bed. "Are you sure about this? I mean, it looks like you were pretty comfortable in the bed before I decided to barge in on you." She states as I laugh, brushing her hair off of her shoulders with a smile tugging across my lips.

"I wasn't. Believe me. Remember, I hate sleeping alone. So, make yourself comfortable. You can take my side of the bed, I don't mind. The bathroom is right over here," I pause pointing over to the light in the hallway as I turn back to her. "You can change in there if you want."

Elena moves to brush past me, catching my gaze as she nods and stops near the door, sighing. "I forgot my pajamas." She says, almost embarrassingly asking me if I have anything she can sleep in. I look around the room, walking to my closet and tossing one of my academy t-shirts at her. "Here, it smells like my cologne, I hope you don't care."

Elena grins, inhaling the scent of my shirt as she blushes and shakes her head. "Not at all. I hope you don't mind that I'm barely going to be wearing anything under this. Hopefully you can keep your hands to yourself." She teases with a wink, watching me swallow down my words as I watch her go into the bathroom, smiling. I inhale deeply, trying to keep my heart rate down and my mind from racing. If I was still the same guy that I was 3 years earlier, that t-shirt wouldn't be staying on her for very long at all. Although, I'm not that guy anymore. I'm trying really hard to be good. I'm trying really hard to prove to her, this girl that has captured my heart that- I'm not like all the other guys out there.

* * *

**-Elena-**

The sheets are cold against my skin as I slide my bare legs underneath the covers and I place my head on to the pillow. I'm exhausted and I'm pretty sure that he is too because he's got his back turned towards me, the thin white flat sheet is covering only his lower body as he mumbles out in my direction. "Good night, Elena."

"Night." I comment, laying on my back in his bed and staring up at the ceiling. I watch as the city lights illuminate the room from the surrounding glass windows and as hard as I try to allow for sleep to find me in his bed and in these unfamiliar sheets, with the scent of him filling all my senses.

It doesn't happen.

After 30 minutes of tossing and turning, I give up. I lift myself up slowly, hearing Stefan lightly snore as the mattress springs creak underneath my weight when my legs swing over the bed and I slowly exit his bedroom, closing the door just halfway so that I can sneak in again.

My bare feet stick to the wooden floor of his apartment while I search for what I'm looking for. Once I find it, I curl up against his couch, tossing a red throw blanket over my bare legs and sinking my tired body into the cushions, opening my journal and beginning to write.

_It's been a while. I know. But, so many things have changed since I last wrote._

_I met a guy almost two months ago, a very super obnoxious as all hell, fire fighter. He hit on me too at the diner and I wanted to take his drink order and throw it at him. I really wanted to give him a piece of my mind about the words that were coming out of his mouth. I restrained myself though when I saw him smile...Now that I think about it...He's got a cute smile and his name, is one that I could hear myself saying over and over again for as long as he's in my life...Stefan Salvatore._

_He's everything I thought I didn't want. But, to be honest. He's everything I know that I need. He's got this arrogance about him and yet when it comes to me he can be the sweetest and most genuine person I've ever met. I came over to his house tonight, after another fight with mom and I'm not even sure why I did it. But, he was there with a gentle hand and a few kind words. I don't know how to say this or how to make it sound less silly than it does because I barely know him right now. But, I think that I'm falling in love with him and as hard as I try to tell my heart that I need to keep this wall I've built up. He's slowly knocking all my walls down...And, it's terrifying me._

My pen drops at the sound of his voice. He's got this raspy tone in it as he leans against the door frame and tilts his head to the side. "There you are beautiful." Stefan smirks, walking towards the couch as I quickly shut the journal in my hands and tuck it back into my bag. He frowns a little when I scoop my legs up towards me to allow him to sit down as I feel his fingers glide against my bare and smooth skinned legs.

"I was starting to get worried that you left. I reached out for you and you weren't there. Elena, if you can't sleep in the room with me. I can sleep on the couch." He offers as I sigh out a breath, leaning my body against him and suddenly feeling tired all over again while I shake my head. "No, it's fine. I just, sometimes when I can't sleep I write in my ratty old journal that my mom gave me when I was a kid. You know, I wanted to be a writer once- a long time ago. But, things changed and I gave up that dream."

"Your dad died?" He asks me in a soft tone as I nod.

"He died and when he did, everything changed for me. I miss him, Stefan. I miss him everyday." I feel myself choking up just at the thought of my father as I feel Stefan's arm wrap around me and he pulls me close to him, whispering that it's okay to miss him against my ear.

"Come on, let's go back to sleep." He encourages as I nod, slowly getting up when he does as we make our way back to his bedroom. I slide back into the side I was laying on earlier, hearing Stefan adjust himself as he pulls me against his chest in a protective embrace and sighs. "Maybe this will help us both sleep." He comments as I feel his fingertips making small circles against my back and bunching up the fabric of his shirt. The motion of his hands and the gesture of comfort allow me to relax and before I can reply back to his words, I feel myself drifting off into sleep. Safely in his arms.

* * *

I must of fallen asleep pretty hard beside him last night. Because, when the morning sun shines through the blinds, I don't want to get up. I'm content and happy to be here with him.

Although, as I roll over, Stefan's arm is lazily laying in the middle of us. I notice a small dark ink splotch on his upper arm when I roll over completely to face him. He's still asleep, the pillow that he's sleeping on has now covered his head from the direct sunlight that's coming in through the blinds and I carefully watch his chest rise and fall. My hand lifts up from the bed and my fingers gently trace the outline of the rose tattoo on his arm.

Stefan stirs in his sleep, groaning a little and uncovering his face as he opens one of his eyes and then the other. A hazy green gaze catches my glance when he leans forward and kisses my lips out of nowhere. "Good morning." He murmurs against me, falling back into the pillows and noticing me examining his tattoo.

"I got it long after my parents died and I started living with Damon. I had it done 3 years ago when I first became a volunteer firemen. It's a rose." He smiles, lifting up the sleeve to his shirt a little so that I can see it better. It's got the initials of his parents right in the middle if you look closely enough and for some reason it breaks my heart.

"It's beautiful." I comment, laying back down into the sheets as I feel his fingers tugging at the ends of my long hair that's sprawled across the pillows. He's spinning the ends of it in between his fingers and looking at me like no guy ever has- in such a loving and sweet manner.

"I.." He opens his mouth, wanting to tell me something. But, a knock at the door stops him and I briskly get up, staring at him as I feel my heart begin to race inside of my chest.

"Maybe it's-." I mutter to myself. It's not my mother, she has no idea where I am. Actually, she thinks I'm staying with my brother. So, it can't be her at 7:30 in the morning. Unless, she somehow found out where Stefan lives.

"I'll get it." I comment, running out towards the front door of his apartment before Stefan can even stop me from going and answering it. Something in my stomach tightens when the door swings open and she takes a step back, frowning at me while she looks me over.

"You're the girl from the fire house. Elena, was it?" She asks in a snarky tone, crossing her arms over one another and poking her head inside. I look down at myself, just a bit embarrassed that I'm still wearing Stefan's t-shirt that's barely covering my hot pink underwear and that I forgot to put my jeans back on from last night.

"Makayla." I blurt out, pulling down the shirt as I turn to hear Stefan walk up behind me, clearing his throat when he asks in a sleepy tone. "Elena, who's at the door?"

She steps inside, giving him a disgusted look when she glares over at me and asks. "So, how long have you two been sleeping together?"

I snap at her, not in a rude kind of way. But, more in one of those 'you really don't know what you're talking about ways'. "It's not what it looks like. I swear, we're not sleeping together." I blurt out defensively, standing behind Stefan as he nods.

"What are you doing here, Makayla?" He asks his ex-girlfriend who is more than pissed off that I'm wearing his t-shirt and standing in his living room, nearly half naked. I pivot on my heels. "I'll leave you two alone." I say out loud, getting stopped by Stefan's arm flying across my chest when I take a step forward.

"No, stay. Makalya here was just leaving." He states as she rolls her eyes, placing her expensive Gucci purse down on to the ground.

"I came here to check up on you. But, according to your new girlfriend. It looks like you're doing just fine without me." She tells him, picking up her bag and turning towards the door, ready to leave. Just when I think she's about to go, she stops and stares directly at me.

"Take some advice from me, Elena. For your sake. I hope he really loves you because if he doesn't. You'll be spending 3 or more years on a wasted relationship that's not going to go anywhere. Stefan only cares about two things. His ego and his career. I highly doubt that he truly gives a damn about you. He'll care until he gets bored and the sex becomes dull." She says, opening the door and leaving without another word.

I swallow down the lump in my throat and the words I was going to spew at her. But, she's gone before I can even get them past my vocal cords. "Is she being serious?" I ask him, watching him rub his face with his hands roughly when he takes a moment to look up at me.

"She's pissed off at me for never telling her that I loved her. Yeah, Elena. Before I met you I cared about fooling around and my job more than anything. But, now..." His voice cracks when he pushes himself away from the counter in his kitchen and I watch him walk over to me.

Stefan places both of his hands on to my cool to the touch arms, rubbing his rough calloused fingers against my soft skin as he locks his eyes on to mine and speaks with a sincere tone. "I don't know where this is going to take us, Elena. I don't know if I'm going to be a good boyfriend to you. But, I swear that I'll try. I'll make sure to love you and to make you happy every chance that I get. I'm going to make sure that nothing gets in between us." He stops, lifting his hand and stroking my cheek as he licks his bottom lip nervously when he adds. "Because, all I know is that I'm falling in love with you and I don't want to give this up. Whatever this is. I want you to give me the chance to see where this goes." He tells me, lifting my chin up with his fingers as he kisses me softly, backing away to look me straight in the eyes. "Tomorrow night, at 9pm when the sun goes down. I want us to go on our first offical date." He concludes as I stand there, my lips still tingling from his kiss and my once focused mind is a bit hazy from his words when they replay in my head... " _All I know is that I'm falling in love with you and I don't want to give this up..I want to see where it goes."_

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"Miss Bennett." Zach smiles with a lopsided grin, watching me adjust the necklace around my neck.

"Engaged. You two better stay that way the next time I see you." He jokes, pulling me into a hug and kissing my cheek. I take a step back as he does the same to Damon before turning towards the TSA check out and sighing out a breath.

"Don't be strangers, you two. If you need anything at all, call me and I'll come straight down here to visit. I don't care what day or time it is. I'm here for you both." Zach clears his throat, placing both of his hands on to Damon's shoulders.

"Watch out for your brother, please." Zach says in a nearly begging tone as Damon smiles and pulls him into a hug when he says. "I will, I always will."

"So, tell Stefan to call me sometimes too. I want to know what's going on between him and that waitress girl, I met in his hospital room. She seems to really care about him." Zach winks as I go to stand beside Damon and lean my head against his chest.

"We'll keep you posted on how it goes between them." I comment, grinning at the idea of having Elena become more to Stefan than she already is. Because, both Caroline and I like her a lot more than we did Makayla. And, she's been a great addition to our small group. She's also been able to keep Stefan in line, which is a first for him.

"You better." Zach states, winking at us and waving. Damon and I stand close together, arms wrapped around each other while we watch Zach turn around and wave back once more before he disappears into the crowd.

"Too bad that Stefan wasn't here to say goodbye to him. Your uncle loves him, you know. Even if Stefan thinks that he doesn't." Damon sighs out a breath, pulling me into his side and kissing the top of my head when he smiles down at me. "I know." He simply replies, lowering his hand so that it's on the small of my back.

"We should go check up on him. You know, see how he's doing. He's alone and I hate the idea of it because knowing my brother, I'm pretty sure he's struggling with everything that happened." He tells me as I glance down at the ground, remembering that this weekend Daniel's family and the other firehouses that lost some of their crew members have prepared a memorial service and funeral for him and a few others.

"Yeah." I reply back, slowly walking us out of the airport as I nuzzle my head into the curve of Damon's shoulder.

"Do you think Stefan's going to attend the service?" I ask curiously looking up at Damon as he grabs the car keys from his pocket and hands them over to me, exhaling out a deep breath. "I don't know. But, Daniel was his close friend too. I don't see why he wouldn't."

My lips are pursed together at the thought of it all. Just weeks ago, Daniels' fiance and I were talking about weddings and how much I wanted Damon to ask me to marry him and now, she's burying the love of her life and I'm starting a future with mine. It's surreal how life works that way, it's heartbreaking too and truly unfair.

* * *

**-Tyler-**

"What do you remember?" Melanie asks me, tears streaming down her face as Caroline tries to hold her back. She came into my room just hours ago. Thankfully, she gave me a few days to think about everything before she came back to the hospital. But, seeing her so broken and torn up inside kills me and I need to look away.

"Mel, please don't do this. Give him time." Caroline tries to reason with her as I notice her push herself away from my wife.

"Time? Give him time! I don't have anymore time. Who gave Daniel time? Huh, who gave him time to live and try to make it. No one! That's who. All I want to know is how he died because Patrick won't say anything and the department reeks of a conspiracy. Please, Tyler. Tell me what you remember. Tell me what really happened!" She demands, sobbing against Caroline's shoulder as she gives me a helpless look and I lift my aching body up slowly from the hospital bed. It's been three days since I've been out of the coma and everything's slowly coming back in pieces.

I clear my throat, telling Caroline to go out and get herself a coffee so that Melanie and I can talk about Daniel. The look of reluctantcy on my wife's face kills me though as she shakes her head. I don't want to argue with her. I'm too damn tired from everything to do that. So, I extend out my hand towards her, my eyes pleading. "Sweetheart, please go and wait outside for a bit. This won't take long."

"But.." Caroline begins to say as I lift my hand up and run it through my hair, begging. "Please."

She sighs out a breath, watching Melanie's tearful gaze as she turns her body towards the door. "Okay. But, I'll be back in a little while."

The door closes behind her as Melanie takes a seat beside my bed and crosses her legs over one another, clearing her nasally throat. "He died for nothing. He died because Patrick was an arrogant son of a bitch and he sent you all out on this job that none of you were supposed to go on or prepared for, even though you all had back up. Please, Tyler. Please, tell me that one of you is going to sue him for Daniels' death. Patrick Murphy doesn't deserve the title he has or that white shirt he so proudly wears. He deserves to be haunted by the mistakes and orders he made as the fire chief."

I swallow hard as I turn my head towards her. "I know that what Patrick did wasn't right and he will get what's coming to him. But, Melanie. There was nothing that any of us could do. By the time we got to Daniel, his pulse was gone and he was already dead. One of the falling trees got struck by lightening from the storms in the area and it had knocked him unconscious, falling on him. I'm sorry, Mel. I am so sorry for your loss." I tell her, seeing the tears begin to roll down her face as she leans towards me and sobs into the blanket that's covering my body.

"He loved you all. He loved you guys so much." She cries, as I lift my hand up and stroke her hair gently. "I know, Mel. I loved him too." I comment, choking back my own words as we sit there in silence and I glance up to see Caroline opening the door and standing near it, tears streaming down her cheeks when glances over at me.

Melanie finally lifts her tear stain face up, turning her head to the sound of Caroline slowly entering back into the room. "I want you both to be there, at the memorial. It's what Daniel would have wanted. I want all of you to be there because as much as I was considered his family, so were all of you. I'd love it if you could say some words too." She states, wiping away her tears and pushing up from the chair as she sniffles back her sobs. "Please say that you'll be there."

I nod, giving her a weakened smile as I glance over at my wife who's holding a Styrofoam coffee cup in between her hands. "We will, I promise." She says, pulling Daniel's once happily soon to be married fiancee into her arms and holding her against her chest. I can see the anguish in Caroline's dark blue eyes as she looks up at me and whispers into Melanie's ear. "Whatever you need, Mel. Remember that we're here for you. Daniel was a part of this group, he was a part of our family and he'll never be forgotten and you will never be alone as long as we're all around."

* * *

**A/N: Please let me know what you all think. And, for anyone who has just started reading this..I hope you're enjoying the journey of their lives so far because this story is going to go through a lot of ups and downs for all the characters. :)**

**Follow me on twitter for updates or just to chat at: BePassionate_24**

**-Until Next Time!-**


	18. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Follow me on twitter for updates or to chat about my writings at: BePassionate_24**

**Thank you to those who are following, reviewing and loving this story right along with me. I love reading what you all have to say about it. And, I'm so happy that many of you like this story. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Seventeen**

**-Damon-**

I don't know how we're going to do this? How do you bury a friend, someone that you've loved and shared things with. A person who has become your family over the years?

Those questions swirl through my mind as I lean my back against the patio chair in the backyard. It's early in the morning and I didn't want to wake Bonnie up just yet. I couldn't sleep, mostly because of the images and sounds of Daniel's voice shrieking in my ears and his bloodied face in front of my eyes, every single time I close them. I've tried sleeping and it just doesn't seem to work. So, I came out here to clear my head. The sounds of birds chirping at 4am don't calm me one bit as it dawns on me that in two short days, we're going to be faced with burying and saying good bye to one of our own.

It hits hard, the realization as I push up from the cold metal chair and make my wake back inside. My head lifts up when I notice Bonnie standing in front of me with a red robe wrapped around her lean and athletic frame. She doesn't say a thing, just walks up to me and places her warm hands on to my flushed and cold skin. "We're going to be okay. I promise you that we're going to be get through this." She states, pulling me into her embrace. She doesn't even need to ask me why I was outside at such an early hour. Because, that's how well she knows me. I swallow the lump in my throat. I've been trying to be strong, for everyone and I just..I can't do it anymore as I lock my watery blue eyes on to her and sigh against the flesh of her neck.

"I can't go to the funeral, Bon. I can't say goodbye to him." I sob, holding on to her as she strokes my back and holds me tighter, whispering softly into my ear. "It's okay, baby. We can think of something else to honor him. It's okay. He knew how much you loved him, he knew how much you cared for him."

She knows how much Daniel meant to all of us, especially me. When Sean's son, Alex had first been diagnosed with cancer. Daniel and I had gone out to help their whole family as much as we could. We spent days going back and forth from the hospital to the house just to make sure that everyone was doing okay. We were that close with each other that, all of us (Before Stefan joined the crew) would sleep in Sean's three bedroom apartment on the floor just so that if he called and told us that he needed us, we could go over to the hospital and be with him and Alex as quickly as possible. Daniel had always said that if he and Melanie ever had children that they'd want a son as bright and sweet as Alex is. He took care of him when his dad was called out to a three day job. We'd take turns on our day offs, watching over Alex until Sean or his mother would return from work. Daniel loved children, he loved Alex and I know that he would have given up everything to make his friend's son better.

"Sean should be there too...I'm sure he's heard by now." My voice trails off as Bonnie's hands slide off my face and she nods her head, exhaling.

"I'll call him for you." Bonnie offers as I shake my head. I should do it. We haven't been as close as we were when all of us worked together and were in the academy together. But, he deserves to know and he should be included in this, a proper goodbye for a fallen comrade.

My hand lifts up and I place it on Bonnie's shoulder, stopping her from going towards the portable house phone. "No. I will." I tell her, clearing my throat and walking towards it instead. I can feel Bonnie's eyes on me as I sit down on the couch, glancing down at the phone with shaking fingers. She see's me close my eyes for a moment to try and find some sort of sign that it's okay for me to do what I'm about to do. Shatter another best friend's world.

The couch cushions move when Bonnie sits down right beside me, extending out her hand with a sad smile. "It's okay, Damon. We're going to do this together. Okay?" She says as I lock my gaze on to her. "Okay." I reply back, dialing Sean's number and closing my eyes after the third ring as we both begin to feel numbness in our bodies when he answers with a rough. "Hello?"

Bonnie's grasp on my hand tightens as she encourages me to speak. I have tears in my eyes as my voice cracks when I explain to another close friend of mine the reasoning for my call. "Sean, I don't know if you've heard. But, I have some bad news. It's about Daniel."

There's a silence on the other line that makes me want to vomit because it's that kind of silence that makes you just feel a rush of sudden sickness. My words are sinking into his mind and now, he's trying to process it all. "I know. I heard a few days ago..I, um. I was going to call. But, Alex had some tests to be ran and-." My emotion filled tone cuts him  
off mid explanation as I deeply exhale while asking. "How's he doing?"

Sean's quiet at first and then I hear him inhale sharply before he states. "They found another cancerous tumor in my son's stomach late last night. The donations that you all helped rack in with the charity event helped a lot. But, his chances aren't good, Damon. He's got less than 2 months to live."

I curse myself and God under my breath for throwing so many hard blows at the people that I care about. This isn't fair. Alex is just a little child and Daniel was- he was an amazing young man who had his whole life ahead of him. Sean's voice breaks me out of my angered trance when he soft says. "His mother and I are planning on making his last few months as comfortable as possible. Believe me when I say that I want to go to Daniel's funeral. But, I can't do it."

My tears begin to spill over as Bonnie leans toward me and wipes them away her with thumbs. Once dried up, she places her head on to my shoulder and holds my hand tightly as I continue to talk to Sean, telling him that I understand that he can't lose hope in Alex. "He's going to be okay, Sean. We all are. We're going to be just fine." I tell him, repeating it in my head as if it's a mantra while I try my best to believe my own words. Although, that same sickening feeling inside of my stomach returns as I sit there and find myself not being able to stop thinking about how much I'm lying to him and to myself. Deep down, I can sense it. We're not going to be okay, none of us are. And, this right now is just the beginning.

* * *

**-Elena-**

"So, you said flowers and hand holding. Right?" He asks me later that evening as we walk towards his red pickup truck and he catches my hand that's swaying back and forth between us. I gasp a bit, a small smile forming across my lips.

"Yes." I tell him, turning my head towards him as he smiles widely and intertwines our fingers together.

"What are we doing in an empty field that has a creek nearby. I can hear it." I say in an observant tone, feeling him spin me around suddenly, I fall back against his body, my hand latching on to his shoulder as he smiles down at me with a smirk.

"It's not just any field, Elena. When Damon and I were little kids my mom would take us out here to this very creek and we'd catch fireflies during the summer." He explains as I glance down at my feet that are wet from the moist grass and thin white flip flops I'm wearing.

"That still doesn't explain why you brought me out here." I jokingly nudge his shoulder as he pulls me to him. My head leaning against his shoulder when Stefan sighs deeply before he adds in. "I wanted a peaceful place where we could just talk and not have to worry about anything. Except for each other." He laughs a little, pointing out in the distance as I glance up to see his red pickup truck that's parked in the middle of the field. The back of it is opened now, music playing lightly from the stereo as he smiles to himself and shrugs his shoulders. "I wanted to make it romantic."

"You moved the truck when I went down to the creek to explore it a bit?" I ask him as he raises his eyebrows at me. "Yeah, well. I wanted to surprise you with a few things. So, come on." He states, pulling me excitedly with him and dragging me to the truck.

* * *

"Are you just going to keep staring at me? Look, Stefan. This was your idea. Coming out here to the back of your truck, laying on blankets and having a late nightdate near creek. So, do you do this for all the girls that you consistently ask out on dates?" I ask him.

His green eyes laugh along with him when he smiles and moves his body a bit closer towards me, a spoon in his hands that he had been eating ice cream with dangles from in between his fingers. I watch with a surprised face as he lifts his thumb and dabs at my lower lip, licking off the excess vanilla ice cream that he's now got on his own fingers.

"You had a little-." He begins to say as I tilt my head to the side, smiling and giggling like a silly kid as I lean my back against the pickup truck bed, resting my arms underneath my head. Stefan smiles as he follows my movements. We're side by side, laying so close that he can reach out and touch me as we both gaze up at the blue clear night sky above us.

"We've been on four dates already. So, tell me Mr. Salvatore. Do you ever want kids?" I asked him, watching his head turn as he huffs out a heavy sigh and laughs a little.

"Four dates? Well, if you count all the times I've come into the diner and semi stalked you to go out with me. Then, sure we've been on a few not so traditional dates." He jokes with a smile. Adding in quickly, "Isn't that a pretty loaded question to ask someone you've only gone out on a few dates with?"

I shrug my shoulders back, smiling as I look back up towards the sky and laugh before I reply with the only thing that fairly makes sense. "I guess it is. But, ever since I met you. You've been nothing but persistent with me. Friendly and very sweet. But, persistent. It's not like you're looking for a girlfriend, Stefan. It's like you're looking for a wife in someone who isn't wife material. I'm totally not wife material and to put it bluntly, I just don't think that I would ever be enough for someone like you."

"Ha. Not wife material? Don't sell yourself short, Elena. You will make any lucky bastard the happiest man on earth. No matter how many kids you have with him. He'd need to work really hard though, to keep you. But, I'm sure that he'd adore a girl like you. I know that I would, if you were mine." Stefan comments, leaning into me a bit more as I feel the back of his hand stroke my cheek, my gaze falling to lock onto his emerald colored eyes.

"I want two kids. Maybe three. When I'm ready for them. When I find that one girl that can put up with all my shit and is worth marrying than I'd want them. I think having a big family would be nice. A dog, a huge backyard and a family that has dinners and celebrates stuff together. I guess…" He pauses for a moment, closing his eyes when he adds.

"It's because my brother and I never really had that growing up. I mean, we did. But, it was taken away from us too soon. So, I just think that I'd want my kids to have each other and two loving parents that loved one another no matter what." He says in a truthful tone as I smile a little at the thought of him being a father or even a husband for that matter. Any girl would be lucky to have a man just like him.

"Who would have thought that the macho acting fire fighter had a heart of gold and was really sappy under all that facade of _'I can get any woman I want.'"_ I comment in a teasing tone, feeling Stefan's hands press against my sides and he tickles me a little, causing my body to lurch forward.

"Hey, I may act all tough. But, I kind of have a soft spot for kids. I've always liked them. And, I also have a soft spot for beautiful women." He says in a nonchalant tone, leaning down towards me. His lips just inches from my own as I lick mine and gaze into his green eyes, getting lost in them.

"You do? Hmm…That's nice." I reply in a soft humming tone, trying to push up off the bed of the truck when I feel his hand on my shoulder, pushing me gently back down against it. Stefan's hand slips into my hair and he places it gently on the back of my head. My eyes are locked on to his face, mouth open to tease him a bit more. But, just when I do, I could feel Stefan's finger being placed on to my lips- silencing me and my thoughts that are running wild.

"I'm going to kiss you right now. And, it's not going to be like the kiss in the supply closet. I'm going to kiss you breathlessly and make sure that you remember it forever, that way you'll never forget me after tonight." My eyes shoot open widely when he says those exact words. I can feel Stefan's finger still against my lips as I swallowed the air that's trying to escape out of my lungs, attempting to speak. However, all I could do is nod while my arms pull him down against my body. His fingers gently fist small pieces of my hair into his grasp as he leans down and does exactly what he had explained. The hint of breath mints are all I can taste on his tongue, the pressure of his mouth against mine make my head spin. I can feel him all around, consuming my every thought and every movement as he leaves a searing and achingly passionate kiss upon my lips, forcing me to be completely speechless in it's aftermath.

My back arches forward towards his chest while I feel his legs lower in between mine. He watches my arms as they tighten around his neck, pulling him down further and kissing him deeper than I had attempted to do when I finally break apart from him for a second to get some air into my lungs that feel like they're burning from the lack of it. The weight of his body, the feeling of his hands lifting my shirt up make me whimper out a noise as he flips us over gently, my body laying on top of his as he does so.

It's hot and I can see the beads of sweat dripping off his forehead as he looks up at me and smiles widely. "Beautiful girl, what's it going to take for you to be mine?" Stefan smirks, his hand moving up to cup my face as his thumb runs over my cheek bone. I swallow hard, my eyes closing at his touch and I mentally want to slap myself at the reaction that I'm having at what he's doing to me. Consuming me, filling me with more joy than I've ever felt in my life thus far. Plain and simple. He's making me fall completely head over heels in love with him without even trying too hard.

I laugh a little at his question. He's already got me in the palm of his hands and he can tell just by the way my eyes are glistening. God, I want him. "Flowers, chocolates, a real date with dinner, holding my hand earlier and kissing me under the stars just now. I think you've figured it out. If you keep this up, you'll have me in no time. However, I'm already nearly all yours." I smile at him, leaning down and capturing his lips against my own as Stefan lowers his hand, placing it on the small of my back. His fingertips lift the fabric of my shirt as I feel the cool air hit my skin and it sends a shiver down my spine.

"You okay?" He asks against my lips. Am I okay? Right now, I'm perfect. Blissful. I don't want this to stop. I don't want this to be the end, I don't want to stop kissing him and being in his embrace.

Our bodies are chest to chest, I can feel his rise and fall underneath me. His head lowers down on to the blanket as I climb off of him and lay down beside him. As much as I didn't want it to end, I know that it has to. Stefan grabs a hold of my hand, intertwining our fingers as he speaks. "You really are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time." He states, tightening his grip and pulling me closer as I lay my head on to his chest and we both glance up at the vast starry night. The only thing that's seen are the little bright stars and the moon shining up above us so brightly that it illuminates our shadows in the dark field.

"I'm fine. Perfectly fine." I comment, allowing a small yawn to escape past my lips as I smile to myself while snuggling closer to him. This is just perfect and I don't want to move or anything to ruin it. Although, the way he adjusts himself beside me, pulling me closer to his body as his hand gently runs up and down my arm. I can tell that something's about to ruin this as silence falls upon us.

"You need to go home tonight, Elena. I know that you don't want to face her. But, it's better than hiding out here with me." He says, kissing the top of my head when I hear him mumble out loud that he'd want nothing more than for us to stay just as we are. Warm, happy and safe in each others arms. Although that I'd be better off to go see my mother.

"She's destructive right now, Stefan. I can't deal with that." I retort back hearing him inhale sharply.

"Call your brother and go home with him tonight. Look, I know that you're scared. But-." I cut him off, pushing up off of him as I turn my back away. I don't want him noticing the tears in my eyes because of all the memories flooding back to me just at the mention of my mom.

"You don't know my mother! You don't know what it was like for me. What it is like for me! I raised myself and Jeremy, Stefan. Do you know how hard that was?" I'm yelling out my words, ruining the once blissful peace that we had found ourselves in just moments ago.

"I could only imagine that it wasn't easy." He says, trying not to provoke anything else from me. However, I'm on a roll and I can't stop as I get up and lift my hands up in the air. "She wasn't supposed to have children. She's one of those people that was never fit to be a mother! Although, she did and my father...He..." The words burn into my mind and are on the tip of my tongue. But, they don't leave my mouth. What I wanted to say was that my father was the only person who truly ever loved us.

"Elena, I'm sorry." Stefan replies with a softened tone, getting up from the blanket too and cautiously approaching me.

"It's not your fault. I just...I thought that I could live with her and I can't." I admit, noticing that he's got his hands in his pockets as he stands in front of me with sad apologetic green eyes. We're just inches away from the truck, standing in the dark as I glare at him.

"Try to make things work with her. But, just know that I have an extra spare bedroom in my apartment that I can clear out for you and that you can stay in. If you ever need it." He offers as he places his hand against the small of my back once again, pulling me into him and holding me against his chest protectively.

"I care about you. And I want you to know that if you ever need me. I'm here, just a phone call away." He informs me, holding me in his arms and exhaling deeply. Stefan's breath washes over my ear as he brings his lips up to it and whispers ever so quietly. "I will always be here for you, Elena. No matter what happens between us, I will always be here for you." He tells me, pulling back and kissing my cheek as he locks his eyes on to mine and whispers softly. "Always, no matter what happens."

* * *

The rumbling of the trucks engine comes to a complete stop as Stefan parks just a few feet away from my mothers house. "You sure that you don't want me to come in with you?" He asks, spinning a small strand of my hair in between his fingers and giving me a sweet and sincere smile, leaning over to kiss me once more. My hand on his chest stops him from going any further as he leaves me with one sweet kiss.

"No, I'll be fine." I leave a tiny kiss upon his lips, turning away and opening the door just as I look up to see the porch light flash on and see her standing by the front door in the distance. Her body is slouched over, her arms are tightly fastened against her chest as she moves towards the car. My stomach tightens and my hands begin to shake. Stefan opens the car door too, stepping out of it and walking over to my side almost instantly. I can feel his hand on the middle of my back, making small circles against the fabric of my shirt with his fingertips. My mother steps forward as well, eyeing him with a glare. "So, you're the one stealing my sweet baby girl away from me?"

I don't know where to look but at him as I watch their interaction. Stefan politely smiles at her, extending out his hand when he announces in a friendly tone with a small laugh. "Yes, ma'am. I'm Stefan Salvatore and it's a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Gilbert. I'm so sorry for keeping Elena so preoccupied lately."

Mom scoffs at him, glancing back at the front door that creaks open just a little and I know from years of living with her and John that he's not too far away from ear shot, listening to every little word we're saying. In which I'm sure that once Stefan leaves that John will have some things to say as well.

"Well, my darling daughter has barely mentioned you. I only heard of you a few days ago because of Elena's brother. He said that you're a firemen and you were in an accident. That's why my daughter's been glued to your side." I hear her explain as Stefan nods his head, glancing down at the ground nearly ashamed that I've spent a week and a few days with him which had me near him for a majority of my time away from living with her.

"Yes, she has. Once again I'm sorry for keeping her away for so long. But, she's been a big help to me. I enjoy your daughter's company very much." Stefan tells her, smiling over at me and hearing my mother huff out an annoyed breath.

"Well, thank you for bringing her back home. Good night, Stefan." She pauses and looks back at the open front door once again and then yawns. "We should really be getting inside. I'll give you both a few minutes to say goodnight." She adds in, telling Stefan in a very fake and over the top tone that she's happy that they met before she saunters back towards the house.

"It was great meeting you as well." He replies, turning his attention back to me the minute my mother walks up the steps and shuts the front door to the house. She's probably watching us from the living room window as my back leans against the passenger side door of Stefan's truck and he turns to me, cupping my face in between his hands.

"You're going to be alright. But, if you need me at all. You know where I am." He says, leaning down to tenderly kiss my lips as I wrap my arms so effortlessly around his neck and hold him against my body for a long drawn out few minutes. I don't want to let him go, I don't want to be away from him, not tonight...Not ever.

Stefan backs away from me, his thumb stroking my cheek as he glances down into my eyes and sighs out a heavy breath. "Just a phone call away." He reminds me, kissing me again and then turning away this time for good as I turn around and watch him open the driver's side door to his truck. Stefan starts the engine and slowly drives away as I stand there out in the cold, not wanting to go in and face my mother. However, the sound of a familiar voice makes my body cringe when all I hear coming from the front porch is her chilling words. "I hope he knows that he won't last very long in your life, Elena. Since, you ruin everything you seem to get too close to. I suggest that you stop seeing him, sweetheart. All a young man like that will bring you is pain and heart ache."

* * *

**A/N: Stefan and Elena really just need to hook up already..All that tension...Ekk! Also, Elena's mother sucks and she's about to get worse...Just wait until we meet John though. He's not a nice person either.**

**I'm sorry if this update kind of sucked to be honest, I've had a hard time writing anything lately. But, hopefully some of you still found it fairly interesting. Feel free to leave me some love in your reviews or a suggestion of what you might like to see happen next. ;)**

**-Until next time you lovely readers!-**

 


	19. Chapter Eighteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan & Elena reconnected & became parents in "One and Only". Before they even fell in love & knew each other. He was a reckless rookie fire fighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Hey all. So sorry that I haven't updated this one for a while. But, to make up for it. Here's is some much needed Stefan and Elena goodness. I promise that the next chapter will have Bonnie and Damon, Caroline and Tyler. But, I just felt like this chapter needed to be all Stefan and Elena. Hope you guys don't mind.  
**

**Thanks for those of you who have been reading and reviewing. Honestly, your reviews mean so much to me. So, please keep them coming. :)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Eighteen **

**-Elena-**

The house is quiet and the morning light still hasn't completely crept though the thin white blinds in the house as I make my way downstairs the next morning and go straight for the coffee machine. All I want to do is grab something to eat and rush out of the house as soon as I can, before either of them can wake up and ask me questions about Stefan. Questions that I really don't even know how to answer just yet or have any concrete answers to. Like, what you'd define our relationship as and if he really does have feelings for me?

A loud pinging noise on my cell phone tears my focus away from my hand pouring the hot coffee into the red colored travel mug in front of me as I hear someone begin to walk downstairs, clearing their throat and yawning a bit.

"Glad to see that you slept well." She states from behind me, patting my shoulder and causing my whole body to tense up. I know what's coming next- all the things that I had completely wanted to avoid when it came to facing her the next morning after seeing Stefan and I together last night.

"So, he's a firemen?" My mother digs right into the topic, not even giving me a chance to prepare myself. I nod, remembering that short and sweet answers are the best when it comes to these types of things- interrogations by my own family.

"Yeah, he works a lot and he and his older brother work at the same fire station." I quickly tell her, hearing as she sighs out loud. I turn my head to notice that she's now taken a seat behind me and has lit a cigarette. The kitchen suddenly fills with the heavy scent of tobacco fumes and my stomach twists into knots. My mother used to do this exact thing when she wanted something from me. She'd sit at our dining room table, hands in front of her and a cigarette dangling from her lips as she waited for me to rehearse the things I'd say to a social worker if they came knocking at the door and found Jeremy and I alone and without her there.

"So, are you in love with him? Did he get you pregnant?" She states the last question in between a deep laugh as I tighten my grip around my phone. My back presses up against the counter while I hold the coffee mug in my hands and shake it around a bit. "If I ever got pregnant by him or by any other man. I wouldn't do anything to harm my unborn baby. Unlike, someone else I know." I spit out at her, attempting to leave the kitchen and walking past the table as she grabs my arm and spins me back around. Her eyes are so deadlocked on to me that I feel as if she's looking into my soul. I watch as she places the cigarette in her right hand down into the ashtray beside her and then she puffs the smoke directly at my face.

"When I said that I wanted you home and with me. I also meant that you could lose this little bullshit attitude you've got going on. Elena, I am trying to make things right." She hisses out, applying pressure to my wrist as her fingernails dig into my skin and she looks me over.

I scoff at her words, shaking my head. "Making things right isn't bringing back the one person in our lives who fucked everything up to begin with. As long as John is here with you. I'd rather be somewhere else." I comment, feeling her nails dig deeper as my words linger in the air. I've pissed her off and I can see it in her eyes when she releases my hand and forces me to take a step back.

"I don't want you going anywhere. We're going to be one big happy family again, whether you like it or not, young lady." She says with an angered tone, narrowing her eyes at me as I glance over to see her standing at the bottom of the stairs, yelling up to John that the coffee is ready.

I swallow the lump in my throat, walking beside her and straight to the front door as she turns to me and states. "Maybe when you get home later this evening from work. You can stop being such an ungrateful little bitch and actually appreciate the family you have left in this world." I hear her scold, just as I slam the door and make my way out of the house.

* * *

"So, how is it living with your mother?" Luke asks me with a smirk on his face as I lean my arms against the counter and rub my hands over my eyelids. I didn't sleep that well last night, maybe it's the change of the atmosphere around me. Maybe it's the fear of being the house with both of them again, who knows.

"She called me an ungrateful bitch this morning and told me to lose the attitude." I reiterate her words, shuttering at how she was looking at me in the kitchen as her breath reeked of smoke. "I can't go back there, Luke. I can't do it. I thought that it would be a good idea. But, now with John in the house and her acting like she used too. I keep having these flashbacks of when I was a little kid and she'd sit at the table with me, smoking her cigarette and telling me things like "John is your new daddy now." My mother used to have me repeat that over and over again, until he started living with us and they got married..." My voice cracks as a shiver runs over my body and I feel Luke's firm hand being placed on my shoulder, attempting to pull me out of whatever nightmarish day dream that I'm in.

"Hey, then don't go back there. Get the rest of your things in a few days and in the meantime, stay somewhere else." He advises me as we both hear Rosie bellowing at both of us to get to work. Although, the bell above the door makes me stop as Luke winks and smirks. "Looks like your new roommate just walked through the door. Problem solved." He points, waving to Stefan who has a leather jacket on with his regular brown work boots and his hair a mess from the wind outside. His hands are in his pockets as the cold air flows into the warm and cozy diner with him and he makes his way to me.

"It's getting cold out there." He tells me, taking his hands out from his pockets and rubbing them together. Stefan takes a seat on a bar stool behind the table near the door as he glances back at it and then smiles.

"I tried messaging you this morning to see if you were working. And, I got worried when you never replied. So, I decided to take a little bit of a walk, the doctor says its a good thing to get as much fresh air as possible. Besides, since I can't be back at work yet. I need to do something to keep in shape." He says, folding his hands in front of him and looking over at me with this sweet and adoring green gaze.

"The doctor also said that you shouldn't be going out by yourself. You did suffer a head injury, Stefan." I remind him, standing in front of him as I pour a cup of coffee into a white small mug, handing it to him and feeling his hand gently rest over mine for a minute or so. His touch is soft and cold against my warm hand and it causes my body to tingle.

"It doesn't matter. I was worried about you and I just...I couldn't rest well until I knew that you were okay." He comments, looking up at me with a small smile. Stefan drops his hands from the coffee mug, looks around for a minute and licks his lips before reaching out to grab my hands. There's something about him, the way his gentle touch calms me and brings me back to focusing on all the good things I have going on in my life instead of all the negativity that my mother is starting to spread. There's something about him that's making it impossible not to fall in love with him.

"I was fine. I couldn't sleep last night though. You know, that whole _sleeping alone thing_ just isn't calming." I tell him with a laugh, closing my eyes and letting out a shaky breath as I feel his thumb brush over my wrist.

"Maybe you should move in with me for a while. It can be temporary, just until you and your mom find a common ground." He suggests as I hear a whistling sound coming from behind me and I catch Luke staring at us both. He's winking at me and grinning like a fool as he gives Stefan and I a thumbs up.

"Clearly Luke thinks it's a good idea too." Stefan chuckles, releasing my hand and watching my eyes look downward at his fingers. I'm focused in on the healing scars that he's got on his thumb and his pinky, burn marks from when the fire almost melted his gloves off.

"I don't know, Stefan. I would hate to intrude and we're just-." He cuts me off, shaking his head. "You would not be intruding. Believe me, I'd like to have someone to wake up with in the morning and talk with, make breakfast for. And, if it doesn't work out. Then, I'll help you find a place of your own. A place where I know that you'll be safe and won't have to deal with your mother."

He can sense my hesitation as I lock my brown worried eyes on to him and he gives me a gentle smile. "Look, I know that you and I are just in the early stages of whatever this relationship between us is. But, I want you to know that I care about you, Elena. And, I wouldn't have suggested this as a solution to your problem if I didn't care."

And with that, he takes his wallet out, leaves me a tip and slips off the bar stool. I watch his movements as he straightens out his jacket and combs his fingers through his hair, getting ready to leave the diner. "You have my number and you know where I live and work. So, think about it and let me know."

I frown a little. I don't want him to leave. I wish he could stay here with me for as long as time allowed us to be together. Just the two of us, freezing time like nothing or no one even mattered. However, I know that Stefan has some personal things to deal with and that he needs to speak with Damon about them. So, I don't ask him any questions as he slowly lifts his head up to look back at me after reading a text message from his cell phone. The only thing that does come out of my mouth is an agreement to his words from earlier. "I'll do it. I will temporarily move in with you. Because, you do care about me. And, as much as I hate to admit this to you. Stefan, you're the only person in a long time to care about me without any strings attached." I tell him as he pauses near the door and turns back to grin at me. "I do care about you. That's why I brought it up and I promise that if things don't work out for us that you can leave at any time. It'll be your choice."

I nod my head, smiling at him as he returns the gesture and then he adds. "I'll come by your mom's house and help you get your things later tonight."

"You don't need to do that." I try to deter him from coming over and having to face my mother once again. Yet, he's relentless to the idea. "No, I want to come over. So, I'll see you tonight." He concludes, leaving me standing behind the counter with wonder in my mind at how I managed to meet such a kind hearted and sweet guy.

* * *

The day passes into the evening quickly when I make it home and go into the house. I can already tell that something is off because John's passed out with a beer in his hands and my mother's outside, smoking a pack of her Marlboro cigarettes and shouting at someone over the phone. I quickly race up the stairs, deciding to leave behind the car she gave me since I can easily just walk to work from Stefan's apartment. My eyes dart around the room, searching for the few things that I should take as I open up an old backpack from high school and shove all of my belongings into it, sighing out with relief as my feet carry me down the stairs and I find myself home free without anyone lingering near the door.

That's until her raspy voice echos into the air and John stirs awake with a smirk across his lips. "Leaving us so soon, darlin?" He asks, getting up from his seat and crossing his arms as my mother does the same and stands in front of the door, blocking my way out.

"I just saw his car pull up beside the curb of the house. Sweetie, do you really think that this is a good idea? How long have you known him...a few weeks?" She's taunting me, placing doubts into my mind and I know better than to give into her questions. Yet, I was graced with the ability that I was never a really good liar and in this moment, I need to be one- just to get myself out of the house.

I lick my lips, straight faced and stare her directly in the eyes that match my own. "I'm in love with him and we've been dating for a while. Stefan's going to take care of me." It's funny how _I'm in love with him_ rolls off my tongue so effortlessly and makes me internally happy inside because at least that part isn't a lie. However, as far as Stefan taking care of me...I really don't need him to do so. I've been able to do that on my own for years.

My mother shakes her head, looking back out at the window as the headlights from his truck shut off and then she turns back around to look down at me. "Do you really think a guy like him will stick around?" She questions.

My voice is shaky as she slowly moves away from the door and I glare up at her through watery eyes. "He promised me that he would." I comment, hearing her scoff.

Her hand grabs the door as I swing it open and step out into the chilled fall night. "A promise from him can mean nothing. You're being stupid and childish, Elena!" I hear her shout out to me as I reach his truck and he glances over at me and then back at my mother. I press my body against the red paint of Stefan's truck while I throw my bag into the truck thru the open window. "Well, his promises have meant a hell of a lot more than yours ever have." My arguing tone sets me on fire and I'm ready to let it all out on her, tell her how horrible of a mother she is, how she never really even tried when it came to raising her children and how she instead always found excuses for her actions.

"If you leave this house with him..I swear that you should never come back!" My mother yells out while taking a seat on the porch steps, watching as I lean my back completely against Stefan's truck. My hands are laying flat against the door, tears streaming down my face as my hands find the handle to pull the passenger side door open.

"That's fine with me! At least with him, I know that I'm safe and taken care of. Stefan will always take care of me. He loves me." I comment, pivoting on my heels when feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up as she gets up from her seat on the porch and makes her way towards me, nearly slamming my body into Stefan's truck when she pulls me by the hair and turns me around to face her. Her actions are fueled by anger as she hisses out. "He loves you, huh? Oh honey! Don't be so naive. Once you end up having a few kids to appease his needs. He won't give a damn about you anymore. You'll end up just like me..regretting the day you met the so called love of your life and the day you had his bastard children, praying for an escape from the life you lead!"

"I will never be you! The difference between you and I. Mother, is that you brought most of this upon yourself. I'm choosing to be with Stefan. I will always pick him and I really don't give a damn what you think about it. Meeting him was the best day of my life and if we ever have kids, I'm going to make sure that they never know what a horrible person they have as a grandmother. How dare you talk about the man that I love like that!" I shout at her, taking a step towards her face, feeling as the warmth of her breath hits mine. Her icy words sending shards of what feel like glass into my heart, scraping against it.

"Because, Elena. You and I both know that he's not the best for you. Just wait and see. He will leave, sweetheart. He will and when he does, you'll remember my words. You haven't thought any of this through. For god sakes, you two went on a few dates and then suddenly. You're madly in love with him. But, do you really know him? Does he really know you? Open your eyes, Elena!" She exclaims, watching as I blink my eyes at her, narrowing them down to her feet, as I exhale and collect my thoughts.

"We know a lot more about each other than you'll ever understand. He's my best friend." I comment with a slight hint of a lie in my voice, watching as she opens her mouth to speak. Her eyes are glued to me as I push away from the truck and place my hands onto the door, closing my eyes and inhaling deeply as I turn back to her and speak.

"You of all people should know what that's like. You should remember what this feels like. Being in love. Loving your best friend. You loved dad like that once, Mom. I know that you did. So, excuse me as I go live my life. I'm making the right choice here, I just know it." I say to her with no doubts in my mind, watching as she takes a step back from the truck. Words seeming to fall upon deaf ears and defeat in her eyes, almost as if she's retreating and realizing that I as much as I might be wrong. Part of me knows that I'm right. I'm half excepting for her to say something else as I open the door to the truck and hop into it, glancing over at Stefan as the door shuts and I tell him to drive.

After a few minutes of silence between us and a few miles separating myself away from my mother. He speaks. "Loving your best friend?" Stefan asks me with a small smile as he pulls over on the side of the road and turns the truck's engine off.

"I didn't know what else to say. Listen, I had to make her believe that we're in love with each other and that almost everything I said wasn't a lie." I comment, wiping away my damp cheeks.

He places his hands onto the steering wheel, leaning into it a bit as he asks. "Which parts weren't lies, Elena?"

I can hear my heart pounding into my ear drums, every single muscle in my body tenses up and contracts as he stares at me with a sense of wonder on his face. My eyes close and my hands tighten around the straps of my gray and brown colored backpack. "That meeting you was the best day of my life." I admit, looking over to see him smiling widely.

"What are you doing?" I ask him, sniffling back more tears and watching as he scoots closer to me. He's so close that I can smell the light scent of aftershave on his skin. My eyes flutter close as Stefan's hand cups my right cheek, his thumb wiping away the moisture from my heated and blushing cheeks.

"I'm making sure that you're okay." He states, pulling me into his embrace and allowing me to release all my emotions into him as I sob against his chest, admitting how much I feel like I made a mistake by breaking away from my mother. His hand gently strokes the top of my head while he soothes my cries.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Everything is going to be okay. I promise you that I am going to make everything better. Not everything you told her was a lie. I'm going to take care of you. I promise that I will." Stefan vows, wrapping his arms around me as I heave for air and cling on to him. He doesn't say a word, he just holds me in his embrace as he rocks out bodies back and forth slowly and whispers into my ear over and over again that everything is going to be just fine, maybe hoping that I'll eventually believe him.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

She holds my hand tightly all the way to the apartment, only releasing it for me to unlock the door as she stops near the entrance and leans her body against the door frame. "I meant what I said about you tonight to my mom and I'm sorry about crying in the truck like that..." Elena's voice trails off, her eyes looking down at her shoes as the door shuts behind her and she jumps a little at the noise.

I slowly turn my head to lock my eyes on to her. This stupid grin playing across my lips. I wish I could say it to her, to tell her that I have feelings for her and that they haven't really developed into saying that I love her just yet. However, my feelings have started to change me. Every time I see her, my chest tightens and I can't stop smiling. I think about her constantly and wonder if she's alright when I don't hear from her or when I don't see her. That I love spending time with her and that the way she says my name makes my heart shatter into a million little pieces because no one has ever said it as beautifully as Elena does.

"Stefan, I love you." The tone of her serious voice and the emotion behind it make my head snap up from the lock I have on the coffee table as I feel Elena's cold hands lift my face up to hers and she smiles at me through tears in her eyes. "I know that we still have a lot to learn about each other. But, whenever I'm around you, I can't think straight at all. You have brought so much good into my life when everything else was so bleak. You're the best thing that has ever happened to me. And, I love you."

When I just stand there, my hands on her hips and my eyes searching her brown gaze. Elena's hesitation begins to rear it's ugly head. "You don't need to say it to me. I don't except you to say it to me at all. But, I just want you to know how I feel about you." She pauses, lips pursed together when she says it again with a bright beaming smile. "I love you, Stefan."

It's on the tip of my tongue, so many words and so many emotions are running through my head that what I decide to do next surprises us both. Elena's hands slip off my face and rest against my shoulders, her eyes shining with fear and a little bit of excitement at what my next move will be.

"Are you going to kiss me again?" She asks with an embarrassed expression on her face as I smile at her, brushing a loose strand of her hair behind her ears, hearing the shifting of the backpack she brought move behind us as Elena kicks it near the door and turns back to me, her arms wrapped around my neck.

"Only if you want me to kiss you again." I comment with a small smirk as she moves closer and I breath her scent in, the smell of lavender and vanilla swirls around my head. Elena leans her forehead against mine. Her eyes are level with my own as she smiles, watching me slowly lean forward. I can feel her still smiling as I slowly kiss her mouth, lingering my lips near hers for a moment as she catches her breath. Her eyes are warm and soft, pleading almost as I back away and move some more of her hair away from her face. She grabs a hold of my face with her hands as I feel them move down my chest and she slides her fingers underneath my thin cotton white t-shirt.

Elena slips my shirt over my head as she looks at me. It's like she's in a saddened awe of the scars from the accident, tracing her fingers over the scars and leaning down to leave a kiss against each one.

"Elena." I saw her name a bit breathlessly, as if it's a warning. I'm trying my best to turn this around because I don't want to take advantage of her- at least not until she tells me that she really wants this and is less emotional about everything.

"I know that you love me. I can see it on your face...You don't need to say it though. You don't-." The gentle feeling of my lips silences her ramblings as I kiss her once again and my hand brushes back her hair with my fingers, moving down to the middle of her spine. I can her hear exhale deeply at my touch as I back away for a moment, wiping my mouth as I look at her.

"This wasn't the plan. Having feelings for you...This was never the plan." I mutter under my breath with a panicked tone. Seeing her lower her shirt and looking up at me as she shakes out the tangles in her hair while she nervously runs her hand over the silky texture.

"So, what was the plan..Save my life and never see me again? Was that it, Stefan?" I hear her ask, sounding a bit displeased by my words.

"Actually it was!" I shout out back at her, hearing her scoff as she pivots on her heels towards the door.

"I should have just gone to Luke's! Damn it, Stefan. You refuse to let me into your heart and into your life. And, that's fine. I get that you don't like saying that you love people because you're afraid that they'll disappear on you. But, for god sakes. How long will we be walking on eggshells when we're together. How long will it take you to say it?" She spits out, turning towards the door and picking up her backpack.

"Where do you think your going? Elena's it's getting late." I point out as she places her hand on to the door and closes her eyes, sighing deeply.

"I was going to go to Luke's. Until you came to your senses." She hisses out at me, turning to look over at me as I cross my arms over my bare chest.

"Listen to us..We haven't even made our relationship official and we're already fighting like we're in one." She replies, shaking her head as her back still faces me.

"Don't leave. Please, Elena. Stay with me." I tell her, slowly making way to her and loosening the hold she has on her backpack, watching one of the straps cause it to fall on the ground again as I tell her to slowly turn around and look at me.

"No." She replies, her shoulders tense and her eyes staring right at the door instead. I can see her fingers still lingering near the handle of it. I smile to myself as I slowly move her hair to one side of her shoulder and I lean down to kiss her neck. My warm and wet lips leave chaste and agonizingly slow kisses upon her delicate flesh as Elena leans her head back against me and closes her eyes.

"Stefan..." She whispers out.

"Mhmm." I hum out, smiling even wider as her body backs away from the door and then she utters out. "I want you to let me go."

I shake my head, lightly kissing her collarbone. "No."

"Then, prove it." The minute she says these words, I know what Elena means by them. She doesn't need to give me an explanation of any kind because deep down she knows that she's right about my feelings for her. I'm in love with her and I have never felt like this for anyone -not even Makayla.

My hands calmly move to the front of her button up shirt, her hands meeting my own as she leans down and kisses my wrist, giving me permission to continue what my hands were doing. Elena leans her head back against my shoulder as the last button is undo and then she opens her eyes, placing my hands on to her sides, gliding them down to her hips.

"So, what's your next move?" She taunts with a small grin as my hands move up to cup her face and I stare directly into her eyes. I can feel her red colored lacy bra brush up against my bare chest when she deepens the kiss between us and both of us stumble backward, falling back against the couch in my apartment as Elena falls on top of me and gasps out a laugh.

"Is this better?" I ask her jokingly as she straddles my lap with both of her legs on each side. "Not really." She replies back, hovering over me as she glides her warm and soft hands up and down my upper body, hearing me groan from her touch.

"What?" She asks me as I smile at her. The room is dimly lit from neither of us bothering to even turn the lights on as I gaze up at her with an undeniably loving gaze. "Are you sure about this?"

"I'm scared." She admits, making small circles upon my chest and staring down at her trembling hands. I lift my hand that's resting against her hip up and place it underneath her chin, forcing her to look at me while I speak. "I can't say it to you right now. But, I promise that one day when I'm ready that I will say it, Elena. I'll tell you that I love you and only you. And, I will mean every word."

Elena pauses, placing her hand on to my chest as she looks away from me for a minute and nervously bites down on her bottom lip. "I've never been with anyone before. I mean, I did date a few guys in high school. But, I've really been intimate with anyone." She confesses as my left hand runs over her goosebump filled skin on her arm. She shutters at my touch and just when I think she's going to turn away from me again, I sit up with her in my lap. Elena's eyes widen as she clearly swallows down her fears.

"I would never hurt you, I want you to know that." I tell her with an honest tone as I move forward and kiss her again, hearing her breath catch as she backs away and locks her scared eyes onto me. "I know that you'd never hurt me." She states, pulling me closer and wrapping her legs around my waistline as she whispers something inaudible into my ear. I pick us both up off the couch and head towards the bedroom, stumbling to my feet and hoisting her body into my arms as my hands clasp together just below her butt.

She glances at me as my hand stops near the door. I can feel Elena swat my hand away from the light switch while she giggles against my neck. "I'm pretty sure that you can do this without even looking. We don't need the lights." She tells me, kissing my cheek and hearing me sigh out a breath as I slowly lower her down against the mattress with it's bunched up red comforter on it, catching the reflection of her beautiful smiling face from the large sliding door that is illuminating light from outside and into my bedroom.

"I promise that I'll go as slowly as you want, just as long as you let me kiss every inch of your soft and delicate skin." I murmur against her ear as I feel Elena arch her back forward to my chest and she whispers ever so slightly. "I dare you to take a chance on me."

* * *

**A/N: How many of you think that I should keep going where I left off here or should the next chapter be the morning after between them? Also, Stefan not telling Elena he loves her just yet..Like, come on dude..She clearly really loves you.. Anyone catch the part when she actually says it to him? :)**

**Follow me on twitter and come chat with me about my stories at: BePassionate_24**

**Thanks for reading & Until Next Time! ;)**

 


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. AH. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan and Elena fell in love and before he went missing in "One and Only". He was a reckless rookie firefighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Thank you all so much for loving this story right along with me. I am having such a fun time writing it and I love reading the reviews you all leave me. So, thanks once again! :)  
**

**Enjoy & thanks for reading!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Twenty**

**-Stefan-**

"So, are we going to talk about it?" I can hear her ask, the moment I close my eyes and turn my back away from her. I don't want to talk about it, the funeral, the burial. I don't want to talk about the fact that in a few short hours I have to walk back into the firehouse after being away from it for weeks, knowing that I'm going to see Daniel's picture plastered on the wood paneled wall of all the fallen guys we've lost.

"No, I just want to be here with you." I comment, turning back to Elena as I kiss her temple and pull her closer against my bare chest, exhaling deeply at the warmth of her body and the light thumping of her heart underneath my palm.

Elena leans her cheek on the side of my chest, where my heart is as I watch her close her eyes. "You're going to be okay. I know you will." She says with a reassuring tone, pulling the fallen sheets back up from the bed and covering her naked body up with them. We've spent the last three weeks mostly in bed with each other, only going out grocery shopping and doing a few other errands. But, our time is up with me going back to work soon and Elena doing the same.

"We can't keep doing this, Stefan." She tells me, an amused expression on her face as if she's trying her hardest not to laugh. But, I can tell just by the glistening in her brown eyes that she's blissfully content with our arrangement.

"Keep doing, what?" I'm playing dumb- clearly. I don't want to think about anything else. But, her and I between the sheets and the way she sweetly whispers out my name. Elena lifts her body up slowly, her hair swaying in the middle of her back. The tantalizing feeling of what her skin feels like tingles through my veins and I reach out to pull her against me, spreading my legs out so that she's sitting in between them as the thin bed sheet that she's pulled over her body sits between us.

"You know, what. Staying in bed like this, for hours together." She smiles with clarification, shaking her head and closing her eyes as my hand lowers the bed sheet to expose more of her shoulder blade. I can feel her instantly relax against me while I leave a soft and slow kiss upon her flesh and she sighs. "At least my mother didn't say anything else the other day when I picked up the rest of my things from the house and unofficially moved in with you, my boyfriend." She breathes out as my mouth works it's way up and down her neck, my hands making small circles against her back as Elena caresses my freshly shaven cheeks with her fingertips, lingering them against my jawline.

I can tell that she's smiling, the tone in her voice has changed and I don't even have to look at her face to see the smile form when she repeats. "Boyfriend. I like the sound of that."

My mouth stops, lifting from her neck. My arms pull her even closer as I wrap them around from behind her and close my eyes. She's everything that I can picture my future being. Elena is the light that my life needed when I didn't even know it. She's smart, funny and easy to be with and not to mention extremely beautiful.

"I don't ever want to lose you. I want you to know that. Whatever happens between us, if I ever get hurt again or if I end up like Dan-." The feeling of her caressing my arm stops me as she turns around in my arms and sits on her knees, hovering over me just a little and placing both of her palms on each side of my cheeks. My eyes forcing to lock on to hers.

"You're never going to lose me. And, no matter what happens between us. I'm always going to feel the way I do about you right now. I love you, Stefan." She says without hesitation, racking her short fingernails through my hair as I close my eyes and lean my head on her chest, the words fighting to escape. I love her, I know that I do and yet, my mouth won't say it. But, my heart feels it every time I'm around her. The more time we spend together, the more this feeling increases. Now, if only I could tell her.

"I lo-." It's like my vocal cords become frozen. Her eyes are pleading, a bright smile is on her face as her hands slide off my cheeks and she nods sweetly. "I know." She whispers softly before moving away from me and pulling her tank top over her head.

"Elena..I." I try it again, this time she turns to face me, her lips pursed together while her eyes look down at the floor. She's got a pair of shorts on, a thin white tank top that's covering her bright yellow bra and a saddened smile forming across her lips. "You don't need to say it, because you obviously can't." She points out with an observant tone.

I watch her eyes tightly shut, listening closely when she huffs out a breath while searching in the dark for her purse. "Damn it!" She shouts, stubbing her toe against the corner of my dresser while she attempts to pack her things up for work, anger fueling every movement she makes.

"You know, we don't even have to be in a relationship. We can just sleep together. Since that's all we've been doing lately. Screw being in a relationship. Forget feelings and emotions, it can all be damned to hell. We don't need strings attached to one another to just to sleep together." Elena states, slowly raising her gaze at me as I lean into the mattress with my elbows.

"I'm not a one night stand type of guy, or a friends with benefits one either. And, you certainly are too good for that type of thing. Besides, if it were up to me and if I had a lot more money, I'd wine you and dine you every night. I'll do anything it takes to convince you that I care, Elena and that this isn't just about the sex." I smile at her, hoping to see her calm down a bit.

"Let me explain. I-." She cuts me off with a wave of her hand, slinging her purse over her shoulder and leaning down against the bed to give me a quick goodbye kiss.

"You work for the next few days, on and off. Right?" She asks, brushing her hand through her hair as I nod. My head spinning at the thought of having to go back to work after being out for so long.

"You can't say it and I won't force it out of you. These things, can't be forced. But, just know that whatever the reason is behind why you can't tell me soon or in the future. I'll understand. Just, it doesn't matter. Okay? It doesn't matter. This is all new to both of us and saying it, shouldn't matter." She adds in, pushing away from me briskly. Elena closes her eyes and I can tell that as much as she says that it doesn't matter, I know for a fact that it does- it matters to her.

"Be careful tonight." She states over her shoulder, leaving the room without another word. I roll over and lay flat on my back, exhaling heavily. "Damn it, Stefan!" I grumble under my breath as I lay on the bed feeling disappointed in myself while I feel that same internal battle want to swallow me alive as my brain screams at me. _"You need to say it already, man. Just tell her how you really feel about her before it's too late!"_

* * *

**-Damon-**

"I just- I froze and I didn't know what else to say." He says, trying to explain his actions to me.

"I can't be here, Stefan. I shouldn't be here. But, I am and the only good thing that is keeping me from not breaking down is your drama with Elena. This is too good, so keep talking because it's helping me with not thinking about the funeral, Melanie crying in my arms, all that stuff." I comment, taking a seat on the bench in the locker rooms as we both turn around to hear Matt walk in, his shoes squeaking against the tiles.

"It's raining outside, badly. They say that a storm is coming in late tomorrow night." He informs us as Stefan rubs his hands over is face vigorously and inhales sharply. "I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not. It took me almost a year and a half to tell Caroline, I loved her." Tyler chimes in with a smile, leaning against the wall in the locker rooms as Stefan, Matt and I all lift our heads and nearly knock him over from rushing over to him and embracing him tightly.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still on the mend." I comment, lifting Tyler off the ground as he laughs and slaps my shoulders while yelling at me to put him back down.

"I am still on recovery mode. But, Caroline and I have a counseling session with my mother and I thought I'd stop by here first to see you guys before I go raise my blood pressure with that." He jokes, staring over at the three of us and glancing out in the distance towards Daniel's empty locker.

"Be safe out there, tonight. Watch each others backs and just, be careful. I heard there's a nasty storm coming our way and it's going to be brutal tonight. Lots of accidents and stuff." Tyler says, ruffling the top of Stefan's head as he smiles and leans into my brother. "Elena's perfect for you, you know. She puts up with your bullshit. Unlike, the rest of us."

Stefan laughs, hugging Tyler tightly and then letting him go. I watch while he leans in towards Matt and smiles. "We'll be fine. Go have a productive session with your wife. Fix things." Matt advises him, watching Tyler turn his back to us and slowly make his way out of the lockers. He pauses though, just a few inches away from where we're standing as he adds in. "I'll be back in a few weeks."

"Can't wait." Damon tells him, winking at him as he shouts. "I miss my work wife already."

Tyler glances down at the floor, stifling a laugh as he adds with a playful and flirtatious tone. "Don't worry husband. You'll be stealing me away from the real wife soon enough. Be careful out there, baby."

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"We slept together three weeks ago, I said that I loved him and he just...He can't say it back to me!" Elena complains, slamming her hands against the table as I look over at her frustrated face, shoving a forkful of strawberry cheese cake into my mouth. I chew it slowly on purpose, hoping that she'll calm down any minute. But, she just keeps going and going about how much she feels for him and how frozen in place he is when the big "L" word spills from her mouth.

"It took Damon a long time to say it to me too. You know, I was the first one who said it to him. He was shocked." I finally utter out, picking up my glass of water and taking a sip as Elena's head snaps up and she exhales deeply. "I just don't understand why he can't say it."

My hands fold in front of me as I lean forward and lock my eyes on to hers. "Elena, the last person that Stefan and Damon said that they loved was their mother. And, then both of their parents died without warning. It has nothing to do with us. Stefan's always just been fearful of losing the one's he loves and he just can't express himself with words all the time. He can with gestures of holding your hand and kissing you. But, when it comes to getting too close and saying what really matters. That's when he pulls away because as fearful as you are of losing him. He's just as scared of you slipping through his fingers, like almost everyone he's ever loved has done." I explain, looking away as the bell above the door in the diner rings and her attention is torn towards it as well.

"I guess you're right. I'll just wait for it then. I mean, we've only been together for three weeks. This whole thing is new anyways. Being with him." She smiles at the thought as I watch her slowly get up and stand.

"I need to get back to work, Bon. I'm going to be here for most of the night and I should make sure that the place is all locked up and secure before the storm hits." She says, looking back behind her to see Rosie standing with her arms crossed and a small smile on her face. "I love that you have friends and that they eat our food here, Miss Gilbert. But, you also have customers too." She states out loud, pointing to the small group of three people that had walked in to the building just moments ago.

I sigh out a breath, looking down at my engagement ring. "I need to get going too." I pause for a minute, leaning over and placing my hand on top of hers. "I wanted to be a nurse before I met Damon. You know, I'm taking classes online right now and I'm halfway through my courses so that I can start the process of being a registered nurse."

Elena smiles at me, looking down as my hand moves away from hers and she shrugs. "I've always wanted to be a writer." She says, smiling a little as we stand beside each other and then she adds in. "Don't give up on your dreams just because you're going to be a Salvatore. Our whole worlds can freeze because of these two brothers." She smiles, telling me a quick goodbye as I nod and slowly make my way back outside. Elena's right. I shouldn't give up on my dreams, even if I am going to be marrying Damon Salvatore- the love of my life.

* * *

**-Elena-**

"So, you're living with him now?" Jeremy asks in a tone that makes me cringe a bit as I push open the door to the empty apartment that I now call _"ours"_ , flicking the lights on.

"Damn it, the powers out!" I grumble under my breath, placing the phone in between my shoulder and my ear as Jeremy exhales. "Are you hearing my question?" He asks in a bit of an irritable tone.

"Yes, I did. I am living with him, Jer. Frankly, it's better than living with mom at the moment. It's temporary though. Stefan and I are just- we're friends." I lie to my brother, hearing him laugh.

"Yeah, sure you are." He states, deeply exhaling.

"If the powers out. I can come and get you so that you aren't alone and you can stay here for the night, just until Stefan comes back from work in the morning." He suggests as I feel my stomach muscles twist and turn. The last thing I want to do is have Stefan pick me up in the morning from my brother's after working all night long and then having my brother interrogate him.

"I'll be fine. I'm a big girl, Jer. I will call you when he gets in though. Just so that you aren't worried." I tell him briskly, searching in the nearly dark room with my cell phone light as I tell my brother that I need to go and find some matches and a candle.

I hang up with him quickly, without really saying goodbye. Instead, going on a hunt for a few candles and some matches. I search the cabinets in the kitchen, coming up empty handed as I shake my head and curse under my breath. "A firefighter and yet, he has no candles or matches. I'm screwed!"

I think about text messaging Stefan and asking him where they are. But, the wind picking up outside and the sound of rain hitting against the windows at a rapid pace stop me from doing so because all I can think about is him in the middle of some residential area putting out a fire or saving someone's life from a flooded roadway outside of the city limits.

So, I walk into his bedroom instead, searching for candles and rummaging through his belongings. While I shove my hand into a set of drawers, it hits something that feels like a waxy texture. I smile to myself. "Aha, here we go!" I comment with a beaming grin, thinking about who the hell keeps candles and matches in their sock drawer in case of emergencies like these!

Moments go by as my cold hands light the match and I set it near the bed, curling up into the sheets after lighting a few more candles. I lean my head back, sighing out a relaxed breath against Stefan's pillow. Who knows how long the power will be out. I could go over to Bonnie's or Caroline's. But, the storm outside is getting stronger and I can hear thunder in the distance, along with the loud winds and pounding rain fall. So, going over to anyone's place seems completely out of the question.

After a while, I can feel my eyes become heavy while my tired body begins to drift off into sleep. But, just as my eyes start to flutter closed all the way. The sound of the front door unlocking jolts me awake. I swallow my sudden fear away as I glance around the room. Thankfully the small candles have made it a little easier to see. But, the rest of the apartment is pitch black- except for the round light flashing in front of my eyes from the flashlight in the intruders hands. My heart is slamming against my chest while I look around for something to defend myself with and then I hear him call out my name. "Elena, it's just me."

"Stefan?" I question his name as I'm not sure if I'm dreaming or if he's really standing in front of me, hearing his heavy boots hit the ground as he flashes the light away from my face, that's the moment that I know that this isn't a dream. It takes a moment for him to toss the flashlight on to the couch before he smiles up at me.

"Thank god, you're here." I whisper out against his neck, running into his arms and not caring that he's covered in dirt and his boots have tracked wet and nasty looking mud into the apartment, all I care about is that I'm not alone right now and seemingly less scared than I had been before.

He holds me against his body firmly, a sigh of relief escaping past his own lips as he kisses the top of my head and I back away from him. "What are you even doing here? Aren't you supposed to be out in the field with the guys? Tonight's pretty bad." I comment, catching a glistening of his green gaze as he places his hands on to each side of my arms and glances down at his feet, laughing a little.

"I was supposed to be out with them. But, Patrick sent me home after this last job we did because I got a little dizzy earlier today and it kept going on. He said for me take another day off and go to the doctor if it continues." Stefan explains, unclipping his red suspenders as I watch them fall to his waistline. He's got heavy muddy looking boots on, a dark short sleeved blue shirt tucked into his light tan colored work pants. Soot and dirt cover his cheeks and just from being gone for 8 hours, I can tell by the look in his green gaze that he's exhausted.

"What's that?" He asks with a small smile, pointing over to the counter with the left over containers of food that I had dragged into the apartment with me after I finished my shift at work. Because of the storm and my going on a frantic search for a source of lighting in the apartment, I had forgotten all about the onion rings and hamburgers.

"Food from the diner that I was going to save for later." I reply with a nonchalant tone as Stefan walks over to the two white take out boxes and opens them up, his eyes widening at the nicely put together food while the delicious aromas from them fill the air around us. "Well, I'm starving and since I barely have any food in my refrigerator that's edible. How about we curl up on the couch together. I'll make a fire in that old looking fireplace that I've only used once since I've moved in here and-." I cut him off, smiling like a fool at how romantic it all sounds.

"It's too windy for a fire and it's pouring rain outside, last time I checked." I comment, pulling us both out of his idea.

"Okay, then. We'll curl up with blankets, eat these burgers and fall asleep together. Right after I go take a shower and wash all this crap off." He adds in with a wink, brushing past me as I reach my hand out and latch it against his arm. "You forgot something." I tell him. Stefan locks his eyes on to me, smiling and adding in that he'll need his flashlight for when he goes into the bathroom as he turns back around and I pull him suddenly against me, embracing him. "I'm glad you're here."

I can feel Stefan's hand firmly press against the top of my head as he exhales deeply and runs his fingers through my hair while he says sweetly. "So am I. To be honest, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now."

* * *

"I could get used to this." Stefan says just a few hours later, pulling the blanket over us as I sit in between his legs and lean my head upon his chest, relishing in the warm body heat that's radiating off of him.

"It's only temporary, Stefan." I quickly remind him as he squeezes me tightly and kisses my cheeks.

"I know," He pauses while exhaling and then he speaks softly. "Have you heard from your brother lately?" He asks suddenly, forcing my head to lift from his chest as my eyes lock on to him and I nod.

"He thinks me moving in with you is a silly idea. But, what my brother fails to remember is that he moved in with Anna pretty early on in their relationship." I point out.

Stefan laughs a little, glancing over at one of the many flickering candles, just about to die out without saying a word for a while until he abruptly says. "I was thinking for my birthday that's in November, we could take our first road trip together. Before it gets even colder, I thought that we could go up to one of my favorite places near Lake George in Upstate New York. I have a few paid days off that I still need to use and I'd like spend them with you."

"It's almost already October, Stefan. That's coming up soon." I comment, my mind drifting off to the idea of Halloween and my heart sinks a little. I've never really had a good feeling during this time of year. Holidays are the worst because they consume my mind and fill it with tons of broken promises in which all mostly involve my mother.

"Yeah, I know. Well, until then. We'll have the fabulous Mrs. Caroline Lockwood's Halloween party to look forward to." He smirks, tightening his grip around my body as he whispers against my ear. "I'd love to see you in a hot nurses outfit. I could dress up as your patient and you could fix me up."

"Patrick said you should take a few more days off, if you wanted too. Heck, it sounds like he even recommended it. So, why wait until your birthday. Why not just go in a few days?" I ask him, hearing Stefan exhale heavily.

"I'd have to make reservations for a place to stay or we'd end up sleeping in the back of the truck." He tells me as I shake my head. The idea of Stefan and I curled up in the back of his truck sounds not as comfortable as I had first thought.

"I'll call around, different motels or hotels. Whatever, let's just get away from the city for a while and enjoy ourselves." He hears me say as his hand stops it's slow movements of moving up and down the skin on my arms.

"Wait, Caroline's mom has this little townhouse upstate near Boltan Landing that Caroline used to spend her summers in growing up. Well, the townhouse hasn't been used for a while and Tyler said that if I ever wanted to get away from the city, I had to just mention it to him." Stefan tells me as I smile at the thought, all of us together for the weekend would be a nice little thing.

"So, we'd all be going?" I ask him, resting my head back on to his chest as I feel his fingers caress my cheeks, pushing strands of my hair back behind my ear.

"Yeah, Caroline's the only one who really knows where it is and we all could take the weekend to go up there, once we got our schedules worked out. It's got like six bedrooms and a really beautiful lake back behind the property." He explains, seeing me close my eyes while I try to envision the beauty of such an enticing getaway.

"Six bedrooms?" I question as Stefan smirks and presses his lips to the top of my head while confirming. "Six bedrooms and a lot of space for us to sneak away from the crowd."

"I like the sound of it." He hears me say, pulling the blanket against us some more, hearing me yawn out a breath.

"I'll talk to them both about it in the morning. Now, let's get some rest." He tells me, pulling me against him and softly humming out a noise as my eyes begin to grow heavy and I feel myself falling asleep in his embrace- safer than I have ever felt before – dreaming about getting out of the city for a while and spending some much needed time away from it all with him.

* * *

**A/N: And the award for perfect boyfriend material goes to STEFAN SALVATORE! Ugh, he's so in love with Elena that it hurts my fragile stelena heart. :')**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24**

**-More to come!-**

 


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. AH. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan and Elena fell in love and before he went missing in "One and Only". He was a reckless rookie firefighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Thank you all for reading and reviewing. :)  
**

**Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine-Chapter Twenty-One**

**-Stefan-**

Rolling over into the darkness and laying my hand flat across her bed side makes me frown a little as I notice it's cold.

"I woke up hours ago, can't sleep." She says from the door frame, leaning against it as I lift my head up from the pillow, glancing over at the clock and noticing that it's a little past 1:30 in the morning.

"Come back to bed. I miss you." I comment with a little rasp in my voice, lifting up the sheets with a sweet smile as Elena yawns loudly and shakes her head. "Nah, I'd rather get a nice warm shower in before you hog it."

"Seriously?" She hears me ask, pulling my legs out from the warmth of the sheets and getting up slowly when she takes a step back.

"I'll race you to the bathroom." I can hear Elena taunt with a laugh as I point out that it's just across the hall.

"You'll win." I comment just in time to make my way out to the hallway, watching her strip off my plaid black and white flannel button up. Elena turns her back to me as I lick my lips, watching her bare skin become exposed while she turns her face to me and winks. "I was cold and I couldn't find anything else to wear."

"So, you like stealing my shirts now." She turns around as I say it and she smiles sweetly at me, a glistening of desire in her brown eyes. "I was cold. But, now I'm hot and this just isn't working for me. So, you can have it back."

My mouth opens. But, it can't form a sentence as she leans against the wall near the bathroom in her bra, grinning mischievous. "Aren't you going to take it back?" She teases, hanging it off one of her fingers as I take a step towards her, shaking my head. "It looks better on you than it does on me."

"So, about that shower." She hears me say, closing her eyes and opening one of them to see me take a step towards her, closing the distance while placing my hands on each side of her body and leaning my knee in between her legs. Elena's eyes shoot open and they grow wide.

"We could totally save water and the environment by showering together." She giggles out a laugh, shaking her head and placing her hand flatly on my chest.

"Saving the environment?" She questions, titling her head to the side as I lean into her to kiss her lips. But, she stops me by placing her finger against them.

"Aha, I think I should go at this alone, you know. We'd be wasting more water if we went together." Elena smiles, pushing away from the wall and ducking her head underneath my arm as she slips into the bathroom and slams the door shut.

"That wasn't funny, babe." I shout loud, hanging my head down as my hands lay flat against the wall and I exhale deeply against the spot where Elena had been standing.

"What do you know about batting cages?" I suddenly blurt out, forcing Elena to open the door a little as I hear her laugh and she pops her head out, already a towel wrapped around her body and the water running in the background. "Batting cages? Not much. Why?"

We're standing just inches apart, her hand against the door as she leans her head upon the door frame and gives me a bright smile. "Well, I was thinking that we could go to a batting cage, I could teach you a few things."

I can hear it in her voice, that hesitation that she has about not wanting to laugh at me. "Oh, I'm sure you could teach me a lot more than just a few things. But, please go on. Then, what would we do afterward?"

The door opens a bit more, the aroma of lavender and mint filling my senses while I notice that she's going to take a bubble bath. "Then, we can have dinner and watch the stars together out on the empty baseball field. Because, that's our thing. Star gazing, dinner dates."

The door finally opens widely, meanwhile Elena crosses her arms and places her foot out so that I still can't make my way into the bathroom fully because if I tried, she'd trip me. "Star gazing and taking showers together. Aren't we so romantic." Elena states with a sarcastic tone as she pulls me suddenly into her embrace and I notice her eyes smiling along with her while she whispers against my ear. "We have a thing, being disgustingly cute is our thing."

My arms tighten around her hips as they slides gently down to her lower back and she leans into me, closing her eyes. "I'd love that, batting cages, star gazing. Whatever, just as long as I'm with you."

"Me too." I tell her with a sincere tone, leaning my forehead against hers as I feel a dampness underneath my feet, both of our eyes darting over to the overflowing bath tub with soap gushing from the sides as it floats towards us. "Elena." Speaking her name in a sharp tone at an attempt to grab her attention. But, she's too focused on me as I am at her.

"Mhmm." She hums out softly, closing her eyes and comfortably relishing in my grasp around her.

"We're flooding the bathroom." I comment with a straight face, watching her eyes open quickly as she drops my arms and rushes towards the tub, shutting off the water and turning towards me with a stern look on her face, placing her hands on to her hips.

"Well, don't just stand there, Stefan! Help me!" I'm laughing while my hand grazes against the counter, laughing even harder at her trying to clean up the mess, tears build into my eyes when she glares at me.

"We're flooding the bathroom, babe. But, I'm still going to strip you from the towel you're wearing while the bathroom floor gets all wet. Not funny, Stefan!" She mocks, brushing past me as I catch her arm and lock my eyes on to her, watching Elena stop in her tracks.

"What?" Elena questions, licking her lips and still clearly pissed off at me as I smile at her, digging out a bracelet from my pocket.

"I know that I can't express how I feel about you with words. Buying your love isn't my intention either. Because to me, you're worth more than anything I could ever give you. But, I do care about you. Elena, you mean everything to me and I wanted to give you this tonight. Although, right now seems like a better time." She hears me say, as her thumb runs over the charms on it.

"It's a charm bracelet." Elena comments, glancing at it curiously while her finger runs over the little firetruck and the heart with my name on it.

"It's pretty silly, I know. But, I...I'm bad at this. At being a boyfriend and saying how I feel about people. Elena, with Makayla all we were was sex and with you, I don't- I don't want that to define us." I'm stumbling over my words as I feel Elena place her hand on to my cheeks, smiling sweetly and kissing me.

"You're not a bad boyfriend and it's cheesy. But, it's really cute and it's from you. And, what you and I have is way more than what you ever had with Makayla." She says, glancing back down at the bracelet as I notice her index finger hover over the engraved words that say _"_ _My heart belongs to you. Always, come back to me."_

"So, you like it?" I ask her with a bit of hesitation as a smile spreads across her lips and she grins. "I do. Because, it's true. I'm yours, Stefan. Always. "

* * *

**-Tyler-**

"Tyler?" My mom asks, hearing when the door creaks open and I step inside of her office. She's got her hands full with paperwork as her glasses start to slip off her face and she finally takes them off, placing them beside her. "Come on in honey." I hear her say, rubbing her hands over her face with clear frustration.

"I know it's been a few days. But, I just wanted to talk to you, like your son and not one of your patients." She glances up at me as I pull up a chair and sit down, clearing my throat before adding. "Caroline told me about the things that happened when I was in the hospital. About you wanting to end my life without giving me a chance."

"So, that's why your here." She nearly hisses out, leaning back into her chair while my eyes meet hers and I sigh deeply.

"Mom, she's my wife and I love her. You need to understand that. I'm not choosing sides in whatever battle you two have going on. But, I want you to know that I love you both and that what you tried to do to me- wanting to pull the plug- I don't want that to happen again." I comment harshly, brushing my pants while I get up and look her over once more.

"I love you, mom. I do. But, Caroline's my wife and this time, I need to choose her side because she wanted to keep me alive. She believed in me and she was there every day until I woke up. So, with that being said..." My voice trails off as I notice the tears in her eyes.

"It was never my intention to pull the plug, Tyler. You don't seem to understand, you're my son and I wouldn't do that to you. I was scared, alright. I was scared that you were suffering and I thought that if you didn't wake up then it would be an option." She explains while I turn to look up, shaking my head.

"Caroline and I won't be coming here for awhile. I want you to know that. I'm sorry mom, I just- I need some time away from you and I need time to spend with her. You both almost lost me and I understand that, I really do. But, she was the one who never lost hope." I tell her, exiting her office without another word and making my way out the doors to the parking lot as I feel my cell phone vibrate in my pocket and notice a text message from Caroline. _"_ _I miss you, hoping you'll be home soon because I have a surprise waiting."_

" _A surprise? Hmm..Sounds mysterious."_ I reply back with a smile on my face, walking straight back to the car and placing my hand on the door handle as Caroline messages me back. _"_ _Get home soon and safely. I'll be waiting. I love you, Tyler. ;)"_

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"I don't want your uncle sitting anywhere near my aunt Lola. She likes single available men and Zach's flirty." I comment as Damon leans back, shutting the water off in the sink and wiping his hands with a towel before he tosses it over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I'll agree with you on that. But, it's just that ever since my parents died. Zach hasn't really dated anyone. There is this woman who he's been interested in on and off. She works for him at the barn. Although, they're not romantically involved." I hear him tell me as I lean my elbows onto the table and huff out a breath. Wedding plans, every detail, every little thing so far has been exhausting! Not to mention the fact that we're kind of still trying to figure out that date of when we become man and wife. With this rate, we'll have to wait another 5 years!

"You've been working on that all day long, you know. We still have time, or if you're really anxious about getting married. We can just go to Vegas and do one of those Elvis impersonator weddings." He smiles with a laugh, whispering the words against my ear as I shiver from the warmth.

"Damon, I am not getting married by an Elvis impersonator!" I shout out loud, running my hands through my hair with a frustrating glance in his direction.

"Fine then. We'll just have to figure something else out. Hey, maybe Stefan can marry us. Wouldn't that be cute?" He asks, grinning like a fool.

Stefan marrying us? He's kidding...Right?

"You want your brother, who isn't even ordained to marry us? It's not going to happen, Damon. He can help you with the wedding vows. But, he is not marrying us. I'll call up a family friend if I have to do so and they can marry us!" I conclude, noticing the frown on Damon's face as he moves back towards the kitchen and shrugs his shoulders back.

"Why should wedding's matter that much anyways? Bonnie, I love you and you clearly love me- maybe not at the moment- but, I know that you usually love me every day more than you did when you first met me. So, why don't we just elope."

I shake my head, sinking back down into my chair after listening to his comments. Eloping? It does sound enticing. But, I want a wedding, nothing too lavish with our friends and family there and I want our first song to be set to the perfect tempo of James Morrison's voice. Damn it, I want a beautiful and simple wedding!

My mind calms as I feel Damon's hand on my shoulder as he leans down and kisses my cheek. "I love you no matter where we decide to get married. Even if we do it in Vegas."

"What about our first dance?" I smile at the thought of dancing so close to him, my white wedding dress swaying across the light colored wooden dance floor while our loved ones watch on with smiles and tears in their eyes.

"How are we going to dance to it?" I ask him, hearing the sound of his ipod in the kitchen begin to play the start of "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison.

"For every piece of me that wants you, another piece backs away.." Damon hums out, extending out his hand to me as he smiles while adding. "Dance with me, Bon."

"Now?" I ask him as he takes another step out of the kitchen and grabs my hand into his own, forcing me up from the chair and dragging me into the small space with a sweet and loving stare. "Yeah, right now."

The music continues to roar on as he hums out. " _You only waited up for hours..Just to spend a little time alone with me..And I can say I've never bought you flowers..I can't work out what they mean.."_ I can feel his hand glide against the middle of my back as he grabs a hold of my hand and Damon begins to sway us back and forth in the middle of our kitchen while I place my head upon his shoulder and relax into him.

"I love you so much." I whisper into his shoulder as he kisses my forehead and he locks his blue eyes on to me when he states with an adoring gaze. "I'm going to love you every day, every minute, every hour for as long as we both shall live, I promise you that. I can't wait to be the man that will be lucky enough to call you his wife."

* * *

**A/N: Stelena and Bamon...I just, I can't even with those four- too cute! Anyways, the next update will be a bit of a flash forward to Caroline's Halloween party. :)**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**-More to come!-**


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. AH. Third part of the "One and Only" & "Begin Again" series. Before Stefan and Elena fell in love and before he went missing in "One and Only". He was a reckless rookie firefighter. And, she was a struggling waitress. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine." (Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews and even reading this little story. With that being said, I've added something that I feel like you all might really find interesting in this update.**

**Enjoy & thanks so much for reading!**

**Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Twenty- Two **

**-Caroline-**

"Sexy fire woman with high heels or sexy cat woman. Which one do you prefer?" I ask him, watching as Tyler lays his head on the pillow behind him, lifting it up slowly and licking his lips in a seductive manner.

"I prefer you naked. But, you know that probably wouldn't go over so well with your guests." He adds in with a shy smile as I jump on the bed beside him, laying down in my red silk robe after taking a shower and starting to prepare for tonight.

"Tyler, I'm being serious!" He hears me exclaim, swatting at his chest as he playfully rolls over to his side and rubs the spot where I hit him. "Ouch...Ohhhh, you hit like a girl!"

"I hit like a girl? Pft." I tell him, watching as he rolls back on to his side, peeking at me through one of his open eyelids as he takes my hand and places it flatly on his chest, rubbing where I had hit him. "Kiss it now."

"Kiss what?" I ask him, shaking my head and trying to tug my arm away as Tyler pulls me down on to the mattress and he hovers over me with a sweet stare. "My chest, Caroline. You hurt me and now I'd like it if you made me feel better with a kiss."

"You know, we haven't slept together since I got back from the hospital and my near death experience. It doesn't have anything to do with what my mom said to you about me, does it?" I stop my hands from wrapping around his neck and instead they drop down to his shoulders, my eyes closing as I exhale deeply. "Baby, it has nothing to do with that."

"So, what is it then? Ever since I got back home, you've been distant and I don't like it. I miss you. I miss us and I just want to be with my wife. Not just emotionally either." His words sting, they force me to clutch on to his hand a bit tighter as my eyes lock on to him and I inhale sharply.

"You died. All the machines around you were going off like crazy and you flat lined in front of me. Do you know what it was like watching me lose you?" He moves to lay beside me now, his hands gripping on to mine that's in the middle of the bed as I feel his thumb wipe away the falling tears on my face, ones I didn't even realize that were falling.

"I have loved you since I was 18 years old, Tyler Lockwood. I'm 22 now. Aside from my amazing mother who thinks that you are perfect for me. You're all I've got and you are all I've never known. I lost it, the faith I had and I almost gave up on you and it hurts me to know that I did because for as long as I've known you. The one thing that I know is that you'd never give up on me." Tyler moves in closer, pulling me against his chest as he starts to make small circles upon my back when he adds in softly. "You need time. I get it because I need it too. I need time to readjust to living our lives after losing some of our own guys that I'll never get to see again. I need time to regain the strength I once had in my body because I feel like everything in me is failing and I'm too young for that. But, most of all. I think we both need enough time to realize that nothing is ever going to tear me apart from you again." He says in the most sincere tone I've heard from him in a long time as he kisses my cheek and whispers into my ear. "I love you with my whole heart and soul, Caroline and I am never going to put you through that kind of pain again. I promise."

Getting up after a few minutes and kissing the tip of my nose before he jumps off the bed, Tyler points over to the black leather suit hanging in my closest as he turns back to me and states. "Cat woman. She's a vixen, just like my wife. And, this outfit would look hotter. Do me a favor darling and save the sexy fire woman outfit for my eyes only."

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"I've never really been to a Halloween party that's this lavish before." Elena comments, clutching my arm until I look down long enough to see short fingernail markings against my arm.

"Sweetie, relax. It's Caroline who loves these things, she'll do most of the talking and besides, you can meet some more of her friends." I tell her, hoping that she'll calm down. But, instead Elena clings to me even more as a guy I work with passes by and smiles at her and then towards me. "Nice to see you with a pretty girl on your arm, Salvatore." He jokes, turning back around and trying to not be too obvious when he checks out Elena's ass.

"He just checked out my butt!" I hear her hiss out as she whispers the words into my ear and I shake my head, looking down at our outfits. Licking my lips, I smile at her as I comment softly. "It's a nice view, you can't blame the guy."

"Sexy Roma gypsy with a short dark purple skirt and a tight white corset wasn't what I had in mind for this, Stefan. I wanted the longer dress. Although, the thrift store didn't have one." She adds in, blushing a little as one of the other guys from the station keeps eying her lean sculpted legs, winking at her.

"Elena, you look fine." I tell her with a reassuring tone, winking as I free myself from her grasp and turn towards the table of booze that Caroline's gotten all set up, watching Damon and Bonnie flirt beside the table. Elena places her hands on to her hips, the moment I turn around back to her and widely grin. "I'm going to go get you something to loosen you up a bit. You look good, that's the one reason half these guys are wishing they were me right now."

"What's the other reason? Hm, enlighten me." She says, tossing her hair to the side as I stop for a moment, completely mesmerized by her. She opens her mouth to say something. But, I move in too quickly, cupping her face into the palms of my hands and kissing her sweetly, maybe even a little too urgently in the middle of the room that's beginning to fill with people as the party starts. Elena pulls away from me breathlessly, her brown eyes wide and her lips quivering from our abrupt kiss as my thumbs brush against her heated cheeks and I reply simply with the truth. "Because you're mine, Elena Gilbert and one of these days I'm going to make sure that you always will be."

Elena touches her bottom lip, the rosy color in her cheeks returns once I leave towards the table and hear Damon and Bonnie giggling with each other. "She's a lucky girl. So, when are you going to tell her what you really want to say, Stefan?"

"What? That I love her? That she's everything I have ever wanted?" Damon's holding Bonnie's hand tightly, a smear of red paint against her neck as she leans into him and I hear my brother pop out his fake fangs. "What are you two supposed to be anyways?" I ask them trying to change the topic while Damon pops the fangs back in and grins sinisterly. "A vampire. I'm supposed to be a vampire and Bonnie over here is my zombie bride. But, I'm not like that Edward dude that sparkles. More like the one from interview with a vampire. He's kind of badass."

"So, what are you supposed to be?" He asks, giving me a displeased look at my lack of creativity when it comes to getting ready for this Halloween party. "A 1920s gangster. Elena is a Roma gypsy who pick pocketed me and stole my money." I comment with a smirk, popping the collar of my white dress shirt and running my hand over the dark blue fabric to my suit, glancing down at the red rose that Elena said I needed to add a bit more flare to my costume.

"Where's Cat woman and Batman?" I ask them both, hearing Caroline growling at someone as they pass by, her hair's slicked back in a tight bun and she's wearing this extremely skin tight leather jump suit as Tyler spins her around, his black cape dragging behind him while she steals a kiss and they begin to walk our way.

"Enjoying yourselves?" She questions gleefully, her hand laying flat upon her husband's chest as I choke out a laugh. "Tyler told me that you had a surprise for him the other night? Was this it?"

We all watch Caroline lean in close, a beaming smile forming across her face as she leans towards me and lifts my head so that my gaze isn't shifted on to her cleavage. "My eyes are up here, Stefan." She hisses out, smiling once more before she turns back to Tyler and adds in with a wink. "This costume was part of it. Let's just say that my husband appreciates this costume a little more after this afternoon."

"Ugh, gross. We don't need to all know about what you and your husband do in the bedroom, Caroline." A loud agonizing groan is heard from behind us as I feel my body tense up and I pivot away from my brother towards her voice.

"Makayla." I comment with a sharp tone, not wanting to flinch as she tilts her head to the side and her eyes brighten a little. "Stefan, and here I thought you'd forgotten all about me."

"He's trying too. But, you just keep popping back up into his life like a reoccurring skin rash that doesn't want to go away even with prescribed medication. Leave now, honey. No one wants you here." I can hear Bonnie state behind me as she glares over at Makayla who's spinning a strand of her hair in between her fingers while the loud speakers begin to blare with a song that I know she loves.

"Oh my god! Dance with me, Stefan. Come on!" She shouts, dragging me out on to the dance floor before I can even refuse as I catch a glimpse of Elena standing beside Matt, avoiding his gaze and staring out into the large crowd of people that's gathered inside of Caroline and Tyler's living room, most likely searching for me to save her from him.

* * *

**-Elena-**

"So, you and Stefan. Since when did this happen?" Matt asks, moving the beer bottle in his left hand to his right hand as the liquid swirls around inside of it, making me focused on it instead of his face.

"We've been dating for a little while now." Is all I say as Matt clears his throat and attempts to ask me more. But, the tugging of my arm forces me to look up when Damon smiles at me and leans forward. "Can I talk to you?"

Nodding, I shrug it off and tell Matt that maybe he could keep Makayla busy for a while and away from Stefan as we both chuckle at the sight of him trying to ditch her on the dance floor.

"Who invited sassy pants?" I ask him as Damon releases my hand and he walks us on to the less crowded patio, opening the door for me and sighing out deeply as the door swings close behind him, leaving just the two of us outside as the house blares with a loud and obnoxious song that I've never heard before.

"He loves you." Damon suddenly blurts out as my eyes shift upward and my confused facial expression falls upon his dark blue gaze.

"I know he does, Damon. You don't need to tell me that." I comment back as Damon pulls up a lawn chair and he sits down in it, rubbing his face vigorously and smearing some of the white face paint that Bonnie put on him.

"I know that I don't. But, I want you to understand that my brother hasn't loved someone as much as he loves you in a long time and he may not be able to say it to you. But, I swear that I know how much he cares for you and how much you mean to him. He talks about you nonstop at work. And, the only reason he asked you to move in with him was because he wanted to make sure that you were safe and away from your manipulative mother. Elena," He pauses, licking his lips as he smiles a little.

"What's this all about Damon? You're telling me things that I already know.." My voice becomes low and quiet as he shoves up from his seat and stands in front of me instead, eyes securely on my face.

"I want to know that this isn't some whirlwind romance between the two of you and that you won't hurt him? I want to know that whatever you two have isn't just fun and games. Because, my brother has been hurt before and I don't want it to happen again."

I clear my throat, crossing my arms over my chest and speaking softly with a purely honest tone. "It was in the beginning, granted we've only been together for just a few weeks. But, I love him and I mean it. I'd never hurt him, Damon. I would never want to see him hurting because of me. So, you don't need to worry about that at all. I guess that I should be the one that's worried though."

Damon runs his hands down his black shirt as he lifts his eyebrows at me. "And, why should you be worried? I just told you that he loves you."

Exhaling through gritted teeth, I close my eyes tightly before I speak. "I keep hearing it from everyone else, Damon. I keep hearing that he cares about me from him though. So, which one is it? Because, there's a huge difference between loving someone you're with and caring for someone you're with. He won't tell me that he loves me. Although, you and Bonnie are so certain that he does!" I spit out at him.

"Elena..." Damon's voice trails off, he gently places his hand on to my shoulder and opens his mouth to say something most likely sympathetic. But, the sound of the backdoor opening stops him and he looks passed me.

"There you two are. What's going on?" Stefan asks innocently, taking a step behind me and wrappings his arms around me tightly as Damon quietly excuses himself, leaning over towards him and softly saying. "I think you two need to talk about a few things."

I can feel his chin resting against my shoulder as he kisses my cheek and brushes his nose upon my skin. "What's going on in that little head of yours? Come on, sweetheart. You know that you can talk to me." I don't mean to do it. But, I move away from him abruptly, hating the loss of contact the instant I leave his arms and the look of sudden hopelessness in his green eyes.

"I can talk to you about everything. I can say how I feel, I can tell you that I love you until I'm blue in the face and that I'm scared of losing you. That you changed my life for the better and that you continue to change me for all the right reasons. It's because of you that I actually look forward to starting the day and loving every minute of it. You make me happy, Stefan. But the problem with all of this is that, you can't say even a little bit of that back to me. Not one of those things." My words cut deep, I can tell as he narrows his eyes to the patio cement and my lips are trembling as the tears build up into my own gaze while Stefan's image becomes blurry in front of me.

I can feel his arms pull me in tightly and suddenly, his breath washing over my damp cheeks as he kisses my forehead and backs away. "What difference would it make if I told you that I loved you? Hm?"

"It would make a world of difference. Because, then I can at least know if I'm wasting my time with you or not." I reply back, locking my eyes on to a button on his suit.

I swallow the lump in my throat, the one barely moving down my esophagus as he takes his hands and cups my face into them. His watery eyes are glazed over too, his speech fairly thick with all the emotions that he must be feeling as he opens his mouth and finally says. "You've been my anchor throughout these last few months, an unexpected surprise that I never saw coming and you mean more to me than you will ever understand or even know. Elena, you're my best friend." I lean into him, clinging to his body and sobbing into the curve of his neck as Stefan whispers into my ear ever so softly. "Sweetheart, you'll ruin your makeup."

Backing away, I shake my head as the tears fall. "I don't care. Just keep talking." He's clutching on to my hand and holding them tightly as he smiles at me with a continued tearful stare. "I know that I'm not an easy guy to love. But, I am so thankful for you." He stops once again, licking his bottom lip, kissing my cheek and moving his lips to my ear when he whispers into them the words of one of the sweetest confessions that will forever remain in my memory. "Loving you and opening my heart up like this, it scares me. Being vulnerable, terrifies me. But, if there's one thing that scares me the most it's knowing that I came close to not being able to tell you how I really feel." He says, backing away from me and placing his cold hands on to my cheeks as he locks his eyes on to mine and firmly confesses with tears dripping down his cheeks. "Falling in love with you, it scares me. But, it's so hard to not continue falling in love with you when I already feel it in my heart every time I'm near you. I love you, Elena."

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"Where have you been?" I ask him, watching as Damon pops a cheese puff into his mouth and smirks at me before swallowing it. "Mingling, making my brother admit to the girl he loves that he actually loves her."

"What?" I question, my eyes growing wide as Damon pulls me towards his left side and kisses my cheek. "I'm being a match maker, Bon."

"A match maker? Damon, let your brother be. He'll tell her on his own terms." My advising tone causes him to roll his eyes at me as he exhales deeply and looks around the room. "Since when did good old Matty blue eyes have his claws dug into Makayla?"

"Don't change the subject, Damon." I comment, my tone snippy and harsh as he drops his arm away and waves me off. "I just talked to Elena about my brother. I'm pretty sure that he's out there doing the rest right about now." He states, leaving me to watch him walk over to Matt and get in between him and Makayla. "Care to dance?" He shouts at her as she turns her back to him and shakes her head.

I can't stand to see him bothering her, even if I don't like her either. I don't want Damon to get into trouble for telling Makayla what a majority of us have known for a while now. "Stefan's moved on and you being here tonight isn't helping him or yourself." I comment loudly, stepping to Damon's left side as he smiles proudly at me.

"Who invited you here anyways?" We both watch as she turns, her blonde hair swaying to the middle of her back when she points to Matt with a smile. "I'm Matt's plus one. I'm not here because of Stefan even though half of you in this room probably think that I am. I'm not."

Damon and I lock eyes on each other for a while, a bit embarrassed for even attempting to harass her tonight. "You and Matt?" They all hear me question as Makayla shrugs her shoulders back and says in a soft tone. "It's better than coming to my ex boyfriend's close friend's party alone. Just, tell Stefan that I'm sorry for not being at the hospital when he was there. Please, I was going to tell him that earlier. But, he disappeared on me." She says, looking back behind her towards Matt who has her purse and jacket ready.

"Matt and I are friends. Just so you both know." She adds in, waving a quick goodbye at us when our eyes lock on to the other pair in the room. He's got her arm wrapped around her protectively, her head is leaning against his shoulder as they separate for a minute and then position themselves into a slow dancing stance.

"They've seemed to have figured things out." I comment, a beaming smile spreading across my lips as Damon grips and pops the collar to his black polo t-shirt while moving towards his brother and Elena. "All thanks to me." Damon replies in a cocky tone, pivoting his back to me for a minute before he extends out his hand and smiles. "Care to dance with me, Mrs. Salvatore."

I'm smiling so much so that it hurts my face when he mentions my soon to be last name. Bonnie Salvatore. I like the sound of that, I love the sound of it rolling off of his lips especially right now. My heart flutters as I grab a hold of his hand and feel the tug on my arm when Damon pulls me into the crowd and close to him, molding our bodies together. The music blares above us and then I feel his hand slide down the middle of my back when he places his mouth against my ear and whispers. "What do you say we get out of here and I show you a good time, Bon?"

Turning in his arms, I'm smiling like a love struck school girl. It's been too long since Damon's been so forward with me that I can feel my blood pressuring rising and my cheeks blush from his proposition. "Take me anywhere you want, Mr. Salvatore." He hears me say, pulling me into him and kissing my lips roughly before he pulls back again and we hurriedly walk towards the front door of Caroline's house, exiting without even telling anyone of our friends where we're going or how long we'll be away from the party.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts? Honestly, Stefan telling Elena that he loves her wasn't supposed to happen for a long time in this story. Because, in the flashbacks it doesn't happen until they break up. But, I kind of changed it for a few reasons. Hopefully it wasn't too soon for him telling her how he feels. ;)**

**Update next: Bamon feels...Seriously those two are about to get kind of hot and heavy in the back of someone's truck. ;) Also, Stefan and Elena's relationship continues to get super adorable. And lastly, Caroline and Tyler finally find some much needed time together.**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**Questions about my stories? Feel free to ask them here: /BePassionate_24**

**-More to come!-**

 


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. PART ONE of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless rookie firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Twenty Three**

**-Bonnie-**

"Bonnie!" He shouts out the moment that he steps through the door. I can feel my heart rate pick up just when my eyes lay on him and he grins widely. "If only I could come home to the sight of you looking this sexy every night." Damon teases, licking his lips and allowing the door to slam shut behind him while I watch the bag in his hand drop to the ground and he grins widely, wrapping me into his embrace. "I don't have much time, the guys and I are going out to celebrate tonight. We did good today, saved a few lucky lives." He tells me, kissing my forehead and looking around the room with a perplexed look.

"What's all this?" He asks, finally noticing the flowers leading to the bathroom, the candles flickering in the windowsill. It was my way of making things romantic and now, my amazing and handsome fiancee. Has officially killed this girls mood. I can't say that I haven't been preparing the apartment for his arrival with candles while picking out a sexy outfit to wear just for him. Because, I have and now- it's ruined just by him telling me that he's got other plans.

"I wish you would have told me earlier." I comment with a disappointed tone, taking a seat back on the couch as Damon steps over my legs and shrugs his shoulders back while stripping off his jacket and tossing it into a corner. "I didn't know about it until I was already on my way here. Stefan suggested meeting up tonight. Last minute plans, I'm sorry."

I sigh out a breath, holding out my phone and staring at it blankly for a long time. "You could have told me." I snap at him, forcing Damon to stop in the hallway as he stares up at me. "Bon, I promise that I'll make it up to you. I promise, tonight when I get back. We'll pick up where we left off in the car at Caroline's Halloween party. You know, before Tyler knocked on the window and told us to get a room." He adds in with a joking manner as I roll my eyes. Being away from Damon like this is one of the biggest things that I hate about his job. However, I understand that he needs to do it, so I bite my tongue. "Fine, have fun with your brother tonight. I've got other plans anyways."

Damon cocks his head to the side, leaning his shoulder against the hallway wall. "Really? With who?" A pinging noise on my cell phone tears me away from my conversation with Damon as I notice it's Elena who has been texting me.

_Elena: Thought we could have a girls night, talk about the cabin plans for when we go up there. The guys are all apparently going out tonight and I'm bored. We can order pizza and watch some trashy movies at Stefan's apartment. How's that sound?_

Tossing a pillow back on to the couch from behind me, I look up at Damon before replying to Elena with a simple _Be there in 20 minutes_ text message _._ The curiosity in his blue eyes makes me laugh a little as I turn the phone around and reply. "Elena, I have plans with Elena."

* * *

"I still can't believe you're living with him." I comment with a small smile, watching Elena lean forward and grab a slice of hot pizza from the box in between us, we've been together for a few hours, talking about things and just when the pizza arrived, we got into talking about Stefan. The red sauce drips down her chin as she tries to suck down the cheese while attempting to talk and laugh at the same time. "Yeah, neither can I. But, this living arraignment between us is just temporary, Bon. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out what Stefan and I are doing with each other."

I lean over, placing my hand on top of hers and thinking about the time when I had first met Caroline. We were like how Elena is now. Clearly very conflicted about the emotions she feels all because of one guy who has made an impact on her life. Caroline and I have been through it all together and now with watching Elena go through the same things, it makes me smile and a little worried.

"You're seconding guessing it, aren't you?" Elena bites down on her lower lip nervously, running her fingers through her hair and watches as the strands fall back against her shoulder. "I love him. I do. But, part of me thinks that I pushed him into telling me that he loves me too soon and that just isn't how I thought this would all happen. Bonnie, What am I supposed to do now?"

My mouth opens to reply in the exact moment that the door to Stefan's apartment is being unlocked and it opens widely. Elena watches me get up briskly as our eyes meet. "Talk to him before he meets up with Damon tonight." I suggest, telling Stefan a quick hello before turning back and saying over my shoulder. "I better get going anyways. I'll talk to you both later. Elena, do as I suggested." I add in as I grab my things and leave before Stefan can even begin to question what I've meant.

* * *

**-Elena-**

"So, what was Bonnie doing here?" Stefan asks as I scoot closer to him on the couch and lay my head on to his shoulder, waiting for him to say anything about the Halloween party. We haven't really talked about it, the things he said to me that night and what it means for both of us now.

"She was giving me advice, girl talk." I reply back, feeling him pull me closer as I inhale his scent. He smells like firewood mixed in with the light aroma of his Gorgio Armani cologne. Stefan turns to face me, lifting his feet up on the table while exhaling deeply before he asks. "What did you two talk about?"

I'm hesitant for a minute, feeling like I'm backed in a corner without a way out. Because to be truthful, ever since we've started seeing each other. Stefan and I don't keep secrets, we don't hide anything from one another and this feeling of uncertainty looming in my mind is driving me absolutely crazy, so I just open up about it!

"We talked about you." I back away from him the moment I say it, afraid of what his reaction will be. He's quiet though for a long time, staring at me as he lifts his hand up and caresses my warm rosy right cheek. "You know how I feel about you. About us."

My body tenses up, Bonnie's words come back into my head at a lightening speed and I suddenly feel like I can't breathe while sitting in front of him. I'm second guessing myself and I need to tell him. The pull of making sure that Stefan knows how I feel about everything is too much and it's clouding my judgment as I blurt out. "How am I supposed to know what you said to me was real, that you really meant it when you probably used to say the something to all the others you've been with?"

His eyebrows knit together as I watch Stefan purse his lips. I've already gotten up from the couch, my arms crossed over my chest as I stand near the coffee table and he scoffs at me. "Bonnie's making you second guess this relationship. Isn't she?"

I can't believe what I'm hearing. Bonnie making me second guess things? She came over here to encourage me to talk with him and now, I'm pissed off. "Bonnie. You think that Bonnie is making me second guess things and planting ideas in my head?" I ask him, watching as Stefan gets up and attempts to reach out to me. He grabs a hold of my wrist, locking his eyes securely on to me as he speaks. "I meant what I said to you, I swear that I did and I honestly have no idea where any of this is even coming from. Elena, I love you."

It's coming from the fear within me. The fear of getting too close to him and I know that he feels it too, that fear of being hurt just as you're about to commit yourself to someone. He doesn't need to tell me, because I can sense it. Stefan knows I'm right. This whole relationship escalated too fast and now, we're stuck because we're afraid.

"Bonnie and Caroline have nothing to do with this, Stefan. This is me. I pushed you into this, into telling me how you feel because I wanted it so badly. I wanted you to be mine, so badly. And, I didn't think that you mean it." The words leave my mouth too quickly and a part of me instantly regrets it because the look in his eyes, the happiness that he had when he walked through the door and saw me, it fades even faster.

"You don't think I mean it! Elena, I can't win with you, can I?" He shakes his head, closing his eyes as he grinds his teeth together. I can tell Stefan's irritated and my heart breaks because I know that if I wasn't so insecure within our relationship that this wouldn't be happening right now.

"For months now, I've told you things, personal things that I haven't told anyone in my entire life. I trust you and I care about you so much so that I moved you into my damn apartment just so that you could get away from your mother. I've done everything that a boyfriend should do for his girlfriend and you're over here second guessing your relationship with me. If you're going to be like this, than maybe I was better off with Makayla!" He shouts out at me, making my own skin crawl with irritation at his words. I can't deny that he hasn't done those things, because he has. However, something inside of my breaks then and there just by simply looking at him and by the mention of his ex-girlfriend.

"I just don't think you take this seriously. Me, Us." I comment under my breath as he shuffles his feet and glances up at me with a stunned facial expression.

"You don't think that I take us seriously? What is it now? You don't think that I'm good enough for you, that I can't love you enough, like someone else could! Is that it?" It's like the whole room spins us around, leaving nothing in it's wake but a pile of destructive debris that once was our happy and blooming relationship as Stefan glances down at the ground and releases my hand. "Damon was right, I shouldn't have gotten involved with you, Elena. I'm sorry that I'm trying everything I can to make you see that I love you and to make sure you're happy with me. But, it clearly isn't enough for you and you seem to be asking way too much. I won't be that guy who waits around until you open your eyes and see that everything I've done in regards to us has been because I love you."

I swallow down my words, feeling the tension in the back of my throat and the feeling of tears stinging my eyes. I screwed up, I'm about to push him away and I'm too frozen in place to even do anything about it. Stefan pinches the bridge of his nose, exhaling heavily as I watch him grab his jacket and then his car keys.

"I won't force you out of here. But, I think you should start sleeping in the guest room from now and we should put this whole relationship thing on pause until you come to your senses or at least until we figure out what's best for both of us." He directs towards me as I close my eyes and let out a shaky breath. "Are you breaking up with me?"

It's like my feet are glued to the ground, I can't move and my mouth feels frozen as Stefan places his hand on to the door knob, turning back towards me as he shrugs his shoulders and opens the door while he says. "I think we just need a break from each other for awhile and you clearly need some time to realize that I'd never hurt you like everyone else has done in your life. I love you, Elena Gilbert and I don't know when you'll start believing that. But, I hope and pray that it's sooner rather than later."

"Stefan, please don't do this." He hears me whisper out as he turns around and secures his gaze on to me. "I don't want to do this. But, I don't have a choice. I'm sorry. Don't wait up for me tonight, I'll be home late. Call Caroline or Bonnie if you need anything." He adds in, closing the door in my face as I stand in the middle of the living room, cursing myself for how much I've hurt him and for my own damn insecurities about us.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"You should really cut yourself off. Isn't that like your sixth straight shot of rum for the evening." The sound of her seductive tone and the feeling of her fingers against the back of my neck cause my body to tense up from her soft touch.

"Your brother over there said that you're having some trouble in paradise, tell me it isn't so?" I can hear her ask with a sarcastic tone as she takes a seat nearest the door and closest to me. The bar's clearing out for the night and the only people left are a few regulars with the exception of Damon, Tyler, Matt and I. But, I'm getting that buzzed feeling, the warm and liquored up feeling which makes me a little too drunk to even care that we'll be kicked out soon as the bar begins to close for the night.

"What are you doing here, Makayla?" I spit out angrily, leaning over my drink and hearing as she exhales deeply. "Matt invited me. Frankly, I got bored with him and decided to come over here and talk to you. He says you looked a little pathetic sitting all alone. So, I am over to check up on you." She frowns as I glare over at her and she leans into my shoulder, trying to steady herself. She smells like alcohol and a bit of tobacco smoke. The rasp in her voice makes my head spin as my heavy eyelids droop and I knock back the half empty glass of liquid into my mouth, lifting up two fingers while trying to get the bartender's attention.

"That's nice. But, I know that you could care less about my relationship with Elena. So, leave. I really don't need to hear your attempt at trying to sympathize with me." I tell her, turning my chair around and trying to leave as I feel her place her hand on to mine, watching the empty crystal glass in it tremble a little.

"You need to stop this and go home. Let me take you home, Stefan." Makayla whispers into my ear, I can tell that she's completely sober in the way her words don't blend together and how she pulls me up along with her. But, as the rum settles deeper into my bloodstream and makes me an even bigger lush than I usually am, I don't fight her. Instead, I pick my things up and leave with her, tossing a tip back on to the table and noticing that none of my friends are even seeing me leave with her.

"Let's go, come on." She urges on, walking up back towards the hallway and pushing open the exit back door that I know leads out to the alleyway and not towards the parking lot. "We're going the wrong way, this isn't the parking lot." I slur out as she giggles, pressing a kiss against my temple as she whispers seductively into my ear once again. "I know. But, don't worry about it. I've been waiting to get you alone and this relaxed for a while. It's nice to be around an Elena-less Stefan Salvatore. This new girlfriend of yours has you on a tight leash and I think it's time you let loose."

* * *

The look in her eyes is mischievous and just as I place my hand on to the exit door, wanting to go back inside, Makayla slaps it away. "If you go back in there, you'll be making a big mistake. You don't belong with her, look at you. You're drunk and miserable because of this girl. Is that really what you want, Stefan?"

"I was drunk and miserable with you too. But, at least I love her. That's the difference between you two..I love her and I can't stand you. Elena and I just got into a fight, my stupid mouth needs to make it better, I need to make it better." I comment, shamefully looking down at the ground and hoping that I can get back into the bar, away from her. Because as I learned a long time ago whenever I'm around her and drunk, there's no telling what could happen.

The cold airs misty fumes swirl around our faces as Makayla leans against my shoulder, giggling into my ear sweetly. "She's a stupid girl for arguing with you. Stefan, you need someone better." She states, backing away from the cold and damp bricks behind the building that she's standing near as she takes a step forward and places her hands on to the collar of my shirt. "Someone who's devoted and loyal, Stefan...I was devoted and loyal to you? Wasn't I?" She asks as her scent fills my nostrils. It's warm and welcoming, overpowering my mind, making me want her even when a part of me doesn't.

"I can't do this. Not with you, not anymore." Shaking my head back and forth, I lick my lips and eye her up and down. There's nothing stopping me within the moment of becoming the same guy I was years ago. There is nothing stopping me from taking Makayla back to a random hotel room and having my way with her. Except for one thing, I'm not that guy anymore and I love Elena too much to hurt her.

The sound of heels hitting against the wet pavement are heard the moment Makayla pushes me back against the wall and smirks at me, the light hitting her face as she whispers just inches away from my lips. "Stop lying to yourself. You know you still love me. I'm sure all you need is a little reminder." She taunts, tightening her grasp around my collar and leaning into me with a passionate kiss. The moment my lips touch my ex-girlfriend's and she aggressively pushes me back against the building, slipping her hand underneath my shirt and smiling against my mouth as my muscles tense. I can hear the sound of familiar sounding high heels pivoting around behind us.

"You taste like rum and smell like fire, just like I remember." She says, placing her finger against her lips and biting down on her finger nail as I look over behind her and notice the figure standing behind her. Tears streaming down her face, her hands are covering her mouth as she stands there in shock. My blurry vision becomes clear and my heart drops into my stomach at the sight of Elena when I realize what I've just done. Totally shattered her trust in me all because of one stupid choice, leaving the bar with Makayla and trusting that she'd take me home.

"Stefan?" Elena asks, stepping into the light from the street as I back away from Makayla and stare into Elena's eyes from a distance. I can see her damp cheeks as she shouts at me. "How dare you! I trusted you, you promised me! How could you, you promised me that you weren't seeing her anymore. That the two of you were over!"

"Opps, I forgot to mention that I called Elena over here to come and get you, stole her number from your brother's phone." Makayla states with a sinister grin as I push away from her, rubbing my hands over my face and trying to make sense of what just happened, all the while shouting out after her while she begins walking away. "Elena, please! It's not what it looks like! Elena, wait!"

Makayla shrugs her shoulders back, the black high heel that had broken off while she was leaving the bar is in her right hand as she glances over at me, reapplying her lip gloss. "She's really over dramatic, Stefan. I'm glad you two decided to call it quits." I can hear Makayla tell me as I roll my eyes and run out of the alley way, searching the massive crowds for Elena's tear stained and broken looking face, shouting out her name frantically into the crowd of people passing by me while I hope and pray that she won't go and do something that could make me hate myself even more than I already do now.

* * *

"Elena, please call me. I'm sorry okay. I'm drunk and I wasn't thinking clearly. I was mad at you and I'm sorry. Please, sweetheart. Just call me and tell you're okay. I didn't know she called you, I swear that I didn't." I plead with her, the silence of her voicemail gives me chills as I close my eyes and lean my head back.

"She's probably just back at the apartment. Stefan, let me call you a cab so that you can go home and figure this whole thing out with her. You were mad, she was mad. It was just a stupid mistake to even go out tonight and Makayla fucked up everything. You didn't mean to kiss her, right..." Tyler's voice trails off as he leans forward and places his hand on top of mine. I can hear Matt whistling out a breath as he waves Damon over and tells my brother to take my slightly drunk ass home instead.

"Has he found Elena yet?" Damon questions, leaning against Tyler and taking the bill off from the table as he heads back towards the bartender so that he can pay it.

"No, he hasn't. Did you call Bonnie or Caroline to ask if she's there or not?" Matt asks them, his gaze sweeping across the room as I lift my body up from the booth and feel it swaying back and forth. My stomach is nauseous with the thoughts of where she is and I'm cursing myself for ever getting into a fight with her, for even being her tonight and especially for allowing Makalya Murphy anywhere near me again.

"I need to find her, I need to make sure that she's okay and I need to apologize." I tell them, wrestling Damon for the keys as he jerks them away and stares me down. "You are going home, straight home. Tyler and I will look for her and we'll call you if you find anything. She might be at her brothers or the diner, since she isn't answering her phone and hasn't been for a few hours."

"Go home, Stefan. We'll find her. I promise." Matt tells me with a reassuring tone as Damon grabs a hold of my arms and lifts me to my feet. I lean against him, tears welling up into my eyes. "I've made so many mistakes since I've met her. All I've been trying to do is be a better person and I keep failing at it. Please, Damon. You need to find her. I love her, Damon. I love her so damn much and I can't lose her. I can't." Damon hears me mumble out, placing his hand against my back as he nods and glances down at the ground. "I know, Stefan. That's why we're taking you home. She's probably there waiting for you anyways, ready to apologize for the things she said too."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

"Have you seen her or heard from her again? I'm starting to get worried." Bonnie's text reads as I shove my cell phone back into my pocket and exhale deeply, unlocking the car doors and looking up at Stefan's apartment building. She couldn't have gone far and Stefan's heading home now, he's a mess about the whole thing. Makayla Murphy can go to hell as far as I'm concerned, coming in between Stefan and Elena in the way she did tonight makes me want to strangle her with my bare hands!

"I haven't. About to go upstairs and knock on the door, or knock it down. I haven't decided yet." I reply back to her, swallowing down the lump and trying to push away the fear for her safety. She's upset at him and probably at herself. She's blowing off steam somewhere, at least that's what I'd like to think.

"I'm worried too. But, I'm sure she's fine. Probably just curled up, eating ice cream and crying over how stupid Stefan can be sometimes. She loves him, Bonnie and he loves her. This wasn't his fault, it was Makayla's." I text her back quickly, pulling the keys out of the ignition and not even waiting until Tyler texts me to see where I'm at.

"Please be okay." I comment softly under my breath, buzzing myself in as I walk inside of the lobby and go directly to the elevator. She hasn't answered her cell phone for two hours straight and to be honest, if she hadn't run off like she did after she saw Stefan. None of us would be this worried. She did text me earlier and say that she was going to bed early just so that she wouldn't have to see Stefan right now because she's pissed off. However, knowing Elena and knowing how much Stefan means to her, I know for a fact that seeing him with his ex-girlfriend really set her off. I know that I would feel the same way if it was Tyler and if I was in Elena's shoes. I'd be raging mad and probably do something that I'd regret later on once I came to my senses.

The dinging above my head and in the elevator cabin jolts me out of my thoughts as I rush down the hallway, frantically pulling out the spare key Stefan had given me in case of emergencies as I knock on the door. "Elena! It's Caroline, sweetie. Please open the door. I know you're in there, I could see the light on from the street and you texted me saying that you'd be home, two hours ago."

"Knock the damn door down." A voice from behind me shouts as I hear him walking up briskly to where I'm standing with long strides and a unbalanced frame. I can smell the alcohol on Stefan's breath and see the guilt on his face as he almost pushes me out of the way and snatches the keys from my hand. "This is all my fault, Caroline. I was stupid to even say the things I did to her today. I didn't mean any of them, I didn't mean to tell her that we should take a break..." His voice trails off as his hand slips away from the door.

"You told her, WHAT!" I stammer out, my eyes widening when the door pushes open and we both stumble forward, slamming it shut behind us.

"Elena!" I shout out as loud as I can, hearing the water in the bathroom running as Stefan looks over at me and I glance back at him. We're frozen in place the moment we both look down at the wooden floor and hear what's underneath our shoes, more water and it's coming from the bathroom, seeping through the crack and flooding their entry way.

"Elena!" He shouts out, nodding at me to step back and I watch with a worried gaze as he plants his left foot into the ground, kicking down the door with his right leg. "Oh god, oh no." I whisper out, gasping the moment I see the scene. There's a bottle of prescription pills on the ground, half of the white small pills are scattered on to the dark brown rug that's soaked with water. She's on the ground, clutching the orange bottle in her hands and there's a blood on the counter and a bloody gash on her forehead as she lays almost lifeless on the ground in the pool of overflowing water from the tub.

I can hear her groaning as Stefan rushes over to her. I watch him turning off the water in the tub as he takes his jacket off and covers up her half naked body with it. His movements are so quick that I can barely make out anything he's saying to me or to her. I watch him carefully try to stimulate her awake with a gently slapping motion to the face. He's opening her mouth and leaning her over the toilet as she groans out in pain. Stefan keeps asking her how many pills she's taken and how long ago. But, she's not making much sense and she's crying even harder when she looks at him.

"We need to call an ambulance, Stefan! She could die!" He hears me tell him as he glances up at me in the same moment that Elena lifts her hand up, mumbling under her breath that she took about a handful of pills right before she drew herself a bath. Although, as she turned around, most of them fell on to the ground and she had only swallowed a few right before she tripped on the rug, almost knocking herself out cold as the water began to run.

"Caroline, shut up and go wait outside." He orders, causing me to question how much he's sobered up since he heard about her going missing on us and if he was even that drunk to begin with.

"I need you to throw them up, sweetheart. Elena, I need you to throw them up." He urges her, holding her hair back as she latches on to him, her eyes glazed over with tears when she states. "I don't want to do it. Please, Stefan...Just leave me alone. Please, just go and leave me alone."

I'm leaning against the wall that leads closest into the bathroom, my fingers lingering over the dial pad as I think about calling 911 for more help. I'm just about to call someone when I hear her crying and glance back over to watch him hover over her, taking her hair into his hands as he kisses the top of her forehead and whispers softly against her hair before forcing his fingers down her throat and making her throw the pills all up. The tone in his voice breaks my heart as Stefan says. "No, I am sorry and I'm not leaving you. Elena, this is all my fault and as much as you hate me right now. I hate myself even more for what I've done."

* * *

**A/N: There will be a small time jump of a few weeks that will happen and within that time things are about to be very awkward for everyone in the next few chapters when they all finally spend some time at Caroline's family's cabin in the woods...**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**-Until Next Time-**

**Follow me on twitter at: BePassionate_24**

 


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. PART ONE of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless rookie firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**Thank you all so much for reading!**

**Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Twenty-Four**

**-Matt-**

"Are you sure that leaving to Caroline's cabin for the weekend is such a good idea. Stefan's going to be there and Elena kind of invited me." I comment, watching Tyler's eyebrows lift as he spits out his water and glances up at me. It's been three weeks since they've broken up and neither of seem to want to talk about anything. Stefan's been avoiding Makayla like the plague at work and any mention of Elena makes him angry because he keeps blaming himself for the state that she's in, even though they're still living under the same roof.

"It'll be good for all of us, trust me. And, so what if Elena invited you? Wait, I thought she couldn't stand you." He points out as I laugh, getting up from the table in the cafeteria as we hear the sirens go off and the alarm blares into our ears. "Engine, Ladder, Battalion."

"Shit! We got to get a move on." He replies, patting me on the shoulder as I look back over to see Damon and Stefan huddled together, talking amongst themselves.

"Well, she said that she didn't want to spend the weekend alone and after what happened with the pill incident. I've stopped by the diner to see how she was doing. We got to talking and she asked me to come with her to Caroline's. It surprised me too. But, apparently she doesn't hate me as much as I thought she did." I add in with a wink, rushing over to stand by Tyler as we make our way out to the apparatus bay where the firetruck is already running and waiting for us.

"You know, my wife hates your guts by the way." Tyler tells me, causing me to pause and stare at him for a long minute. "Excuse me?" I ask, hearing Tyler laugh as he smiles at me and then clarifies. "She thinks that you hitting on Elena a few times when she was interested in Stefan was uncalled for. But, I told her not to worry. You and Elena are friends now, I guess. Just, keep this as a reminder Matty boy. As much as you might like her at the moment or whatever you two have going on. Stefan, well he adores her."

My mouth opens to form a come back. But, the moment I try and say something to him. I feel someone patting my back as Stefan states. "Matty, good to see you actually joining us today. Let's go." He says flatly, making me turn around as Tyler jumps into the front seat and Damon slides into the passenger seat beside him, hitting the lights. "Let's roll boys, light 'em up! ." He shouts out loudly before any of us are able to say anything else, the truck starts moving and we're on our way to an important call as I sit there and think about this weekend. My goal isn't to make Stefan jealous with hanging out with his ex-girlfriend or whatever they are now. But, if it happens, then so be it.

* * *

**-Caroline-**

"We should talk about what happened with you and those pills." I state in an irritated tone. She's been avoiding the topic, distracting herself with cleaning and working at the diner. To be honest, I think she's just distracting herself from thinking about Stefan. They haven't really spoken about it or really seen each other for long in these last few weeks. He's too broken up to really face her and so he's enlisted me to keep an eye out on Elena.

"I don't want to talk about it and to be honest, Caroline. You don't need to be my babysitter. I'm fine." She snaps, throwing her purse down on the counter of the small coffee table in Stefan's apartment as she pivots towards me on her heels. "He put you up to this, didn't he? He can't talk to me about it because I scared him half to death and he's making you watch over me like a hawk." She spits out, figuring it all out fairly quickly as I try to deny it. "No, he didn't. Elena, I'm your friend and I love you. So, Stefan had nothing to do with this." I'm trying to make it sound as if I really didn't do anything. But, she knows me too well.

"Yes he did. He can't talk to me, he can't even look at me whenever I walk about this damn apartment!" She exclaims, inhaling through gritted teeth and turning around as she blows her hair out of her face. "I'm an idiot and it was a careless thing to do. But, Caroline. I just don't want to feel so much pain anymore. From my mother, from losing my dad, from this whole thing with Stefan. He was," She pauses as I lift up my hand and correct her. "He is, the greatest thing for you, Elena and this whole break up is silly. Come on, just make up already and stop this."

She rolls her eyes at me, muttering out. "I wish it was that simple. But, it's not. I don't like cheaters, I never have and even if he's told me that he and Makayla are over for good. It didn't look like it, you should have seen the way they were together. They've got a history that I'll never understand, Caroline and maybe it's better this way. Stefan and I living as roommates and doing our own thing."

I scoff at her words, standing in front of her and crossing my arms. "This isn't what you want though. He's not your roommate, Elena. He's your lover, your boyfriend, your best friend and these feelings of anger towards each other will come boiling out to the surface even if you two try and move on, you'll never get anywhere because something will always pull you right back into each other. You are meant to be with him."

She shakes her head, certain that I'm not telling the truth. "No, it won't. If he wants to be with his ex-girlfriend. Then, he can. Besides, he made it clear that we're taking a break. So, I should be able to hang out and see whomever I want to see. What's the big deal?" She asks me, watching me lock my eyes on to her.

"The big deal is that whoever you're with. You'll start comparing them to Stefan! I know you love him and he loves you. This whole thing between you two is ridiculous." I stammer out, moving my way towards the door as she glances down at her feet and says. "I won't be. Yes, I love him and he said he loves me too. But, maybe this is for the best. Besides, we're not talking at the moment with each other too much and so maybe it'll be less awkward when he see's me hanging out with Matt his weekend at the cabin."

I choke back a laugh, my hand slips away from the door as I gawk at her. Did she just seriously say she's bringing Matt Donovan, Stefan's best friend with her to our weekend get away spot. This won't end well, it won't end well at all!

"Out of all the people you could have invited or even the option of going by yourself. You invited Matt, like it's not that big of a deal. Like, Stefan won't get pissed off seeing you two together?" I ask her, watching Elena nervously run her fingers through her hair.

"He's just a friend, Caroline. I'm not asking him to share my bed with me. I asked him to come with me so that we could all hang out together. Besides, Matt rarely gets invited to these things with all of us and he should get invited more often. Yes, he's a bit of an asshole. But, he's a nice guy and we've been talking about what it was like for me when Stefan was in the hospital. He said that he hopes things workout for us. And, that he's coming to the cabin to be my moral support." She explains, leaving me utterly speechless and trying to comprehend her words.

"Oh, Give. Me. A. Break! For god sakes. Yes, Matt is my husband's friend. But, he's not as sweet and charming as he seems to be. You know what he see's in you right now?" I ask her, watching her shift her weight and lick her lips.

"What?" She asks, tilting her head to the side and giving me a curious glance.

"Here's what Matt sees in you, a lonely and very suddenly single Elena Gilbert that's emotionally fucked up and that he can easily get into bed. That, is what Matt Donovan see's in you and I swear to god that if he tries anything at all this weekend, I'll be the one telling you. I told you so." I spit out at her, watching her eyebrows lift as she tries to argue with me. But, she knows I'm right.

"Caroline, it's not like that with Matt and I. He is Stefan's best friend and I love Stefan. So, nothing is is going to happen between us this weekend. You don't need to worry." Elena tells me with a reassuring tone, watching as I walk out of the apartment, briefly turning around and saying quietly under my breath. "I hope not."

* * *

**-Elena-**

"So, are we going to talk about how you scared me half to death or are you and I just going to keep avoiding each other?" He asks, sitting across the couch from me as I cross my arms over my chest and stare at the news that's reporting on the Television, something about a snow storm coming our way and hitting us all hard over the weekend. It's the start of November and for some reason, snow this early seems a little odd and if it feel like we were at the cabin, I could only imagine it trapping us all inside and that would be hell. I can feel his body heat radiating off of him and I want nothing more than to curl up into his arms and tell him that we should stop this nonsense. That I was wrong for what I did to myself and that he doesn't need to worry. I want him to tell me that the kiss between him and Makayla meant nothing and that we can go back to being, boyfriend and girlfriend. That we can go back to being, us.

"No, it was stupid and I ended up throwing them all up anyways. You watched over me all night long, remember? There is nothing more to say." I comment, watching him fidget in his seat.

"Elena," He stops, licking his bottom lip with his tongue as he reaches out to caress my arm and I pull away. "I know this is hard on you and I'm sorry for what I did to hurt you. I didn't mean to kiss her."

Laughing a little and pulling back, I stare into his eyes. Maybe he is telling the truth, he seems insincere enough in his tone. However, I've built up these walls in the last few weeks, maybe in the last few years really that have been protecting me from situations just like these. "You should be sorry." I comment icily, getting up from the couch and going straight into the kitchen as I hear him get up too and follow me.

"We need to talk about this, alright! Our fight was stupid and I didn't mean what I said. I was drunk and pissed off. Makayla just happened to come on to me and the kiss just happened. I didn't mean to kiss her and it's not like I cheated on you, kissing her meant nothing to me!" He yells out, anger in his eyes as he looks down at the floor and huffs out a breath. "But of course, you're just too damn stubborn to believe me."

"Stubborn?" I scoff out the word, placing my hand firmly on to the counter and leaning my side into it. "I'm not stubborn. I'm pissed off at you for everything. I'm even more pissed off at myself for believing that you were different than all the other guys and that we actually had a potential with each other."

"Oh. I am different from all the other ones. Trust me, sweetheart." He says in a cocky tone, watching me nearly stare him down. "Speaking of other guys. I heard about Matt's sudden invitation from Damon today. Is he really going to Caroline's little getaway weekend with all of us. Care to explain what that's all about?"

"Nothing. He's our friend and I felt bad for him. So, I invited him to tag along." I comment, feeling strange and uneasy talking about this topic with Stefan. But, I'm telling him the honest truth. Even though Matt's one of his 'best friends' he barely gets invited to any of our tight knit gatherings and to be honest, I figured that it'd be nice to have him be with us this time of year. Especially after all of them are still trying to deal with losing Daniel.

"Alright then. If you don't want to talk about that either. That's fine. But," Stefan turns away from me, shifts his weight from one leg to the other before he adds in. "I know him, Elena. And, he is a great guy. But, I don't want him anywhere near you at all. Even if you and I are taking a break. I still don't want him trying to make moves on my girl." He tells me confidently, pivoting on his heels and taking a beer from the fridge as he looks back at me and concludes with a short tone. "I'm not the jealous type. But, when it comes to you, I can be. Even if you don't think so at the moment, I do care about you and I don't ever want to see you get hurt in anyway because of me or anyone else like you did that one night with those pills, ever again."

* * *

"Isn't it beautiful?" I hear Bonnie shriek out from the back seat as I peel my cheek off from against the passenger side ice cold window. We're all in awe of the large house that sits behind a small creek and that's tucked away behind a bunch of old looking pine trees down a gravel and dirt road in Bolton which is in upstate New York. The mint green paint color of the house with it's white wrap around porch and the peacefully calm atmosphere makes me forget all about my troubles for a little while.

"I thought you said your mother inherited a townhouse. Not a whole house!" I exclaim, rolling down the window just as the car comes to a complete stop and she smiles at me when she turns around to grab the house keys from her purse. "Just wait until you see the inside. Six bedrooms, three bathrooms and the most breathtakingly gorgeous view of the creek you've ever seen." Caroline tells me, opening the car door as I lean back into my seat, trying to quietly figure out how I'm going to deal with both Stefan and Matt this weekend.

"I invited Matt." I blurt out, causing Caroline to stop and Bonnie to poke her head back into the car through the open car door window on my side. "We know, Damon told us." She smiles, patting me on the shoulder as she says. "Good luck with that."

My eyes close as I huff out a breath. "No, I invited Matt because I thought I was going to make Stefan jealous this weekend by spending time with his best friend instead of him and..." My voice trails off, placing my hands into my lap and staring down at them when I finally admit. "It was a stupid idea."

Caroline laughs, walking over to the other side of the car and opening the door, pulling out her suitcase when she smiles over at me. "Oh, Elena. Why don't you just let the man love you and believe him when he says he does. You know, if you two hadn't fought about it. You wouldn't be living like roommates right now. You'd probably be having lots of sex upstairs this weekend."

"I know. I don't know what I was thinking and I messed up, Care. I messed up majorly. So, now this weekend is going to be really awkward because Stefan and I are semi-still not talking and Matt and I are, well...We don't hate each other as much." I comment, running my hand over my face and saying that I'll surely need a few drinks to survive this as Bonnie lets out laugh. "If I were Stefan, I'd get drunk on purpose just so that I could punch Matt in the face if he tried making a move on you."

"Bonnie!" I shout out her name, watching as she shrugs her shoulders back, asking in a sweet tone. "What?"

"They're best friends." I point out, hearing Caroline joining in with laughing right along with her.

"It doesn't matter, Elena. I'm team Stefan. Matt touches one hair on your head this weekend and I'll make sure that he regrets it." Caroline states with an undertone of anger, tossing Bonnie her bag as she tells her to go set them on the steps in front of the entry way.

"Nothing is going to happen between us. We're just friends, I guess." I'm clear and to the point in my tone as Bonnie and Caroline lean against each other, both laughing as I hear them shout. "Aha. Here's the thing sweetie. Matt can't be friends with any woman. He has trouble with the term, boundaries because he has none. Very extreme with everything, that guy." She tells me, watching as I get out of the car too, looking down the dirt road and hoping that the guys take longer than they need at the grocery store before I have to face them both later tonight at the little get together that Caroline's got planned for us.

* * *

**-Damon-**

"I swear to god that I see him lean into her one more time as she's talking to him. I'm going to punch his pretty little face into the new year!" Stefan tells me, puffing out a breath and taking a seat next to me as I pull Bonnie into my embrace, feeling her head lay against my chest.

"Uhh, someone sounds a little jealous." She teases Stefan, nudging his shoulder playfully. My brother rolls his eyes, his gaze dead locked on Elena and Matt who are both sitting under the same blanket, laughing and chatting about nothing that really seems too interesting.

"You should go and sit in the middle of them. You know, make your presence known." I suggest, hearing Stefan laugh as he bites down on his lip and looks over at Bonnie and I. He's stressed, worried almost and I can see it written all over his face.

"I messed up with her. I keep messing up and I don't want to do it anymore. I keep thinking that I've changed and that I'm a better person. But, something always screws it up again. This time it was Makayla...I can't do this anymore with her." Stefan mutters out, glancing directly into the fire pit as the embers from the wood and coal burning together crackle and spark up into the air.

"What are you saying?" Bonnie asks him, pushing up from me with an intrigued glance on her face.

Stefan shrugs his shoulders back. "That maybe the break up between Elena and I should be permanent and that we should try dating other people for a while. See if we're really meant to be or this whole dating each other thing really just isn't for us."

Bonnie reaches out and swats at his arm before spitting out her words at him angrily. "Have you lost your mind! No, you two are going to get back together and Elena isn't going to date anyone else. She's going to date you, love you and maybe even one day you'll be smart enough to ask her to marry you, that way you'll lock it down!" Bonnie tells him with a demanding tone as I watch my brother look down at his feet, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Maybe Matt's a better option for her. He's less screwed up than I am. Elena doesn't need anyone else screwed up in her life, she needs stability." Stefan replies back, earning him a light slap on the face from my hilariously and blunt fiancee. "The hell he is! Get up off your sorry ass right now, Stefan Salvatore and march your cute little gloomy looking face over there. Apologize to her and tell Matt to piss off before you sit down and talk to her!"

Stefan's glances up at Bonnie with a small smile forming across his lips. "Talk about what? She's made it pretty clear to me that she doesn't want to really talk about us or the pills that could have killed her. So, there isn't much else to say."

"I don't care." Bonnie pushes up from me, leaning into my younger brother and cupping his face in between her hands as she deadlocks her eyes on to him before adding on. "One day, you're either going to marry her or you're going to lose her forever if you don't do something about it right now. She loves you. But, she's scared and so are you. So, stop being two complete idiots about this and go talk to her before Matt wedges his way into your relationship and you lose her to him."

Stefan closes his eyes tightly, placing his hands on to his knees as he looks out at them. Elena's leaning into Matt, laughing at something he's just told her and they're smiling at each other, joking around.

"I'll catch her later tonight when she's sitting alone or something." He says softly, taking the bottle of untouched whiskey beside him and getting up as he turns towards both of us and says in a low voice. "I love her, I really do. But, she's happy right now, sitting next to him even if they're just friends and I don't want to ruin it because I love seeing her smile." He tells us both, turning away and heading back into the house alone with a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey in his left hand, taking a sip of it before he walks into the living room.

"Your brother is an idiot!" Bonnie tells me, curling up back into my embrace and exhaling deeply as she adds on. "I don't understand why he won't fight for her more. He loves her so much and yet, he'd rather just watch Elena be happy without him. What in the hell is wrong with him, Damon?" She questions as I shrug my shoulders back. "I don't know, honey. I say we just leave him alone. They'll figure it out, Bon. I know that they will." I tell her, glancing back across the patio were Elena still sits with Matt just a few feet away.

"I just hope that they do it before it's too late and this goes on for too long." Bonnie hears me quietly say as we both watch Elena excuse herself abruptly, glancing around the patio and resting her eyes at the spot where Stefan had been. She places her hand gently on to Matt's shoulder and smiles sweetly at him, leaning in and whispering something before she gets up and goes in the same direction where Stefan had disappear off into.

* * *

**A/N: Well, let's just say that Stefan being drunk and jealous of Elena hanging out with Matt won't end well. Besides, I think Stefan and Elena really need to hash things out and clear the air, even if they're yelling at each other...Oh, all of that tension in the next chapter...hm... ;)**

**As always, reviews are appreciated!**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. PART ONE of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless rookie firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**begin with "One and Only." So, I still have a lot to cover with this prequel...And, I really do mean that! ;)  
**

**Thanks so much for reading & Enjoy! **

* * *

**Before You Were Mine Twenty-Five**

**-Elena** -

"Stefan! Wait." I shout out after him, following him into the living room and upstairs as he brushes past Caroline and Tyler who are talking about something important, both of them giving us a perplexed look. She stops me in my tracks, grabbing me by my elbow and latching her hand on to it. "Is everything alright?" She asks, concern in her blue eyes as Tyler shakes his head while looking up at Stefan who's stumbling up the stairs, missing every other step. "God damn it!" He yells, hearing Tyler huff out a breath as he says. "Buddy, you look like you could use some help. You alright there?"

All of us stop and look up at him, his left hand is tightly wrapped around the banister as his right hand holds up the bottle of half drank whiskey and he smiles at his best friend. "Totally fine, man. Totalllyyy, fineee." He smiles, continuing to make his way up the stairs and disappearing off into the hallway as Caroline sternly looks at me. "Are you sure you want to go up there and talk to him now. Elena, he's been drinking the whole night. He's pissed off that you and Matt looked like you were flirting."

"Flirting with Matt?" I scoff, I was being nice to him. Yeah, maybe getting a little too close to him. But, I wasn't flirting. I know that for sure!

"The arm rubbing, the whispering into his ear. Let's just say that Stefan doesn't appreciate it." Caroline comments with a frown, looking back behind me at Bonnie and Damon who are seated all alone outside, begin making out like two teenagers while snuggled up in a blanket around Damon's shoulders.

"Let me just go talk to him. I know how to handle Stefan." I comment confidently, pushing my way past her and hearing Tyler let out a laugh. "This is going to be good. Honey, I hope we have insurance in case of any damages those two make to our belongings upstairs. You know, throwing things at each other and all." He winks, making me shake my head with disapproval. "No one will be throwing things. We're civilized."

"Right, you two fight like you're already married to one another!" I can hear Tyler shout out as he and Caroline stand in the living room, watching me rush upstairs until I hit the hallway, frantically searching for Stefan. It doesn't take me that long to find him within the six bedrooms of the house, he's laying on his back in one of the beds, staring up at the ceiling and holding the bottle of whiskey like a small child against his chest. "Come to gloat how you've moved on with Matt so quickly. Is it because you took my advice and he's the better option?" He spits out, lifting his head up just a little as I close the door behind me and sit down near his feet.

"I'm not moving on with him, Stefan. We're just friends. Alright, how many times do I need to reassure you that we're just friends. Besides, why do you even care. We broke up, remember. I thought you didn't care about me or the things I do?" I question as he finally lifts his unsteady body up with his elbows and with hazy eyes and an uneven slurred speech he sighs deeply before speaking. "Because, I love you sooo dammn muchhh and you can't evenn see that. I love you and it kills me to see you with someone else when all I want is for you to be with me."

His words are drawn out, his eyes glazed over with fear and a sudden hazy anger that I can't even place. I don't understand why he's so angry with me. Although, I can see the hurt in his forest green eyes and the pain on his face as he looks at me through heavy eyelids. The bottle drops on the bed, bouncing back up a little and shaking the liquor in it as Stefan leans towards me and cups my cheek with his right palm. "Why can't you see how much I love you. I'd die for you, Elena. I'd give everything up in this world for you and you don't even give a damn!" His voice rises a little, swallowing the pain in his tone he inhales through gritted teeth and blinks his eyes rapidly at me. "Am I wrong for loving you this much. Should I just move on and forget about you?" He asks.

"Don't do this to me! Don't act like this means nothing to you. Because you say you want me. You want no one else but me and it makes me fall harder and even more in love with you. Then, you go and screw it up without even thinking about what it'll do to me, the one person who has been by your side for months now. She wasn't there when you needed her, Stefan. Makalya never was the one holding your hand and praying for a miracle just to see you open your eyes. I was! I was the one that was there for you when they said you wouldn't wake up and this whole thing is ridiculous and shallow. I love you. But, you keep making me question if I should even keep holding on to that." I stammer out, pushing up off the bed and turning away from him so that he can't see the tears welling up into my eyes. The break up hurts, seeing him this messed up hurts me as much as it does him. Although, I know that this is what he wants, to lure me right back into him and they'll he screw up again. We'll be in a vicious, never ending cycle.

"You don't think I care about you? That what I say to you even has any meaning at all. I know that. But, I don't know what else to do to make you believe me. I'm trying my damn best, Elena. What do you want me to do? What do you want me to say!" He screams, pushing up off the bed and standing behind me as I wipe away my tears. I can feel his eyes on me, the heavy and intense feeling I always get when he looks at me, the hold his gaze casts over me makes my body shiver.

"Tell me what to do to make this better, please. Elena, I'll do anything." He vows, a crack in his voice as I feel my bottom lip quivering.

Pivoting back on my heels, I turn to face him. My cheeks are beat red, tears streaming down my face as I inhale sharply and my eyes fall upon him. His balance is off, his green eyes blood shot as I reply back. "You can't do anything, Stefan."

"I don't believe that!" He shouts, stepping in front of me briskly and blocking my way out of the door. "Just stay here and let's talk. Please, Elena. I just want to talk with you."

"About what?" I hiss out, feeling the tears that are dripping down my cheeks travel into my mouth as I swallow the salty tears.

"The truth. The real damn honest truth." He says, closing his eyes and running his right hand over his face while exhaling heavily, leaning back into the bed to steady himself.

"Oh so we're being honest now?" I scoff, shaking my head and watching him stare up at me with a hurtful gaze. "Come here," He tells me, lowering his voice as I watch him extend out his hands to me, grabbing my own from my sides reluctantly as he gazes up at me with watery green eyes. "Truth is that I don't deserve you. I'm not boyfriend material, I never have been and you need someone who is stable and who can love you without hurting you. I keep screwing up and it scares the shit out of me," I can feel the saliva in the back of my throat build as his thumbs run over the top of my cold hands and I feel like I can't take a full breath as he locks his glazed over eyes on me and concludes. "I'm not good enough for you, sweetheart and I don't think that I ever will be. I'm sorry, Elena. I love you so much. But, maybe I should really let you go." Stefan tells me, lifting himself up as he brushes past me and I feel the rage I've been holding on since we got here overcome me.

"So, that's it? You're just giving up on our relationship? Just like that?" I shout back at him, watching him turn back around as his hand slips away off the doorknob and his eyes blink rapidly at me for a long drawn out moment or two. "I guess I am." He tells me as I inhale deeply, shaking my head as I glance around the room and pick up a glass frame off of the dresser drawer, throwing it at him as hard as I can. I watch as the glass frame, whizzes past his head and just inches away from his shoulder, it bounces off the wall and shatters down on to the ground.

"What the hell are you doing?" Stefan yells back at me, turning back to face me and checking the side of his face with the palm of his hand to see if the frame hit him. "Don't worry, I missed your face, pretty boy. But, you're still a coward!" I angrily state as he takes a step forward, we're just inches apart as he looks me over, licking his bottom lip hungrily.

"Fine, I deserve that. I hurt you and now it finally looks like we're getting to the root of your issues with me. Instead of avoiding them and saying 'I don't want to talk about it.'" He mocks me, lifting up his hands in the air and rolling his eyes. "Jesus, you are a piece of work."

"Well, at least I know what I want instead of going back and forth between two people. So, tell me, Stefan. How did it feel kissing Makayla?" I blurt out not really thinking that he'll actually answer me. But, hearing him let out a loud and deep belly laugh as he smiles with a glistening in his eyes catches me off guard completely.

Stefan takes a step towards me, his eyes are darkened and his breath smells like a mixture of whiskey and rum. I can nearly taste it on his tongue when he steps forward and speaks. The heat of his breath washes over my face as he secures his gaze and then leans in towards my lips, just a little bit closer and he'd be kissing me. "You know, babe. It didn't feel nearly as good compared to when I'm kissing you. Frankly, she doesn't know how to leave me wanting more or how to make me beg for her hands against my skin the way you do." He whispers in a taunting tone, backing away so fast that he backs into the locked door and lays his hands out flat to steady his unbalance body.

"You're drunk." I whisper out, hearing him laugh as he smiles. "Clearly. But, I'm not that drunk to the point of where I don't know what I'm saying to you. Honestly, this is the most truthful I've ever been and I meant it. I don't deserve you, Elena and it's better if I stop hurting you." He tells me, pressing his back up against the door a bit harder as he stares down at his shoes.

"Stefan..." My voice breaks, my eyes fill with tears as I cover my mouth to prevent my crying sobs from leaving past my lips. "Don't walk out like this, don't walk away from me." I tell him, pleading in my tone of voice as he opens the door and turns back to look at me over his shoulder, his hand holding the door open.

"I love you so much, alright. I'm doing this because I love you. I'm letting you go because I'm never going to be what you need." He says, walking out of the room and leaving me sitting on the bed, crying into my hands. Minutes go by as the door pushes open again and I heave out a shaky breath. "Elena, what did he do to you?" Matt asks, watching me collapse into his chest and cry against his shoulder, stuttering out my words in between trying to catch my quivering breath. "Stefan and I, we broke up for good this time."

"It's okay, shhh, it's going to be okay." Matt reassures me, soothing my cries as I cling on to his shirt and nuzzle my face into his chest, heaving out shaky breathes. "It's not going to be okay, Matt. I love him so much and he's too scared to even love me as much as I love him." I whimper out into the quiet room, feeling his arms wrap around me just as he leaves a kiss against the top of my head and he sighs out deeply. "Stefan's a stupid idiot for not seeing that. You are any guy's dream girl, Elena and I really don't know what it's going to take for Stefan to see how beautiful and amazing you really are."

* * *

**-Tyler-**

"They fight like they're already married. Dibs on going with Stefan to pick out an engagement ring once they make up!" I announce, tossing down a 20 dollar bill against the coffee table as I hear Bonnie lean into Damon and ask him softly. "How many frames and glass objects do you think they broke up in that guest room while arguing?"

Damon laughs, pulling Bonnie into his side and kissing her cheek. "Not sure, sweetie. Ask my brother!" He exclaims, waving over Stefan just as all four of us sit on the floor, playing a game of poker. Stefan grabs his jacket, then a set of random car keys as I notice him taking the keys from my truck.

"You're not stepping out of this house with that bottle of whiskey or my car keys!" I shout out, getting up quickly and following him as Caroline, Bonnie and Damon give me a quick look of annoyance. "I'll handle it." I comment, wrestling the keys from Stefan's strong grip as he begins arguing with me and telling me that he needs to get the hell out of the cabin.

"Fine, we'll go on a ride then. Just the two of us and that damn bottle of booze." I reply to him, taking my own jacket from the coat hanger and opening the front door as we both shiver at the cold while stepping outside.

Stepping outside with Stefan, I allow him to lean against me as I look into his watery eyes. We're just centimeters away from the truck door as he leans against me and with a broken tone he says. "I screwed up, Tyler. I don't deserve her. So, tonight, I let her go for good. It's better this way, she doesn't need me. Elena needs someone like Matt. Someone good for her."

I know what he's referring too. He's mentioning his fight that he had with Elena and the words they threw around, mostly angry and meaningless words. Now, his heart hurts and she's sitting upstairs in our guest room, crying against his best friend's shoulder because he's there and Stefan. Well, he's too racked with guilt to even stick around after saying what he said to her and making her cry.

"I know. But, we're going to fix this. I'm going to help you." I tell him, snatching the bottle from his hands and closing the lid tightly as I unlock the truck doors and start the truck, hearing it roar to life when I watch through the fogged up glass while Stefan stares up at the house, looking right into the window of the room where Elena's at.

"Come on, we're going to go for a little drive." I tell him, pushing open the door and helping him inside as I wait for him to close the door. "I know what you think you're doing for her, is a good thing. But, she needs you as much as you need her. Allowing her to be with someone like Matt, would be a big mistake." I tell him, placing the truck in reserve as I drive out North, about 5 miles out towards a park that Caroline used to come to with her family during the summer.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"It's going to snow." I tell him, sliding my aching body up against the hood of the warm truck and placing my feet against the front bumper and grill of his car. We're staring out at the foggy and misty lake as Tyler and I sit across from each other, the bottle of Jack Daniels that I had began drinking earlier in the house sitting still between us. I'm feeling too sick to my stomach to drink another drop and my head feels like it's throbbing at my temples.

"You know, when I first started dating Caroline. I screwed up all the time. Her dad hated me and her mother thought that us getting married at 18 years old was pretty damn irresponsible. Her dad still thinks this. But, her mom can see how much I fought for her, how I'd do anything for her. Caroline's the love of my life, she's everything that I have ever wanted and even though we've had our tough times. I've never given up on her and she hasn't on me." Tyler licks his bottom lip, placing his hand against the bottle and opening it. I can hear the plastic cap hit the hood of the truck as he laughs and tilts his head back, pouring the whiskey down his throat a little.

Swallowing it down and exhaling deeply, Tyler passes me the bottle and says with a smile. "You just need to stop trying so damn hard and for god sakes, stay the fucking hell away from Makayla Murphy! Elena, is more important. You and Elena make sense. You and Makalya, you two never did. Maybe between the sheets. But, as a couple, I'm sorry. But, she's never been right for you."

"I pushed Elena away from me tonight, you know. I've been doing it for the last few weeks because I'd rather her be happy without me then keep watching me hurt her with my stupid actions or my stupid mouth." I tell him honestly, feeling the heavy weight of Tyler's hand against my shoulder as he looks at me and nods. "Yeah, you really need to stop and think before you say something. I mean, do you really love this girl, Stefan?"

I nod, "She's everything that I want in my life. Elena is funny, she's kind, she's generous and she has so much love to give underneath all that hurt and pain she carries within her that she's scared to open up her heart more, just like I am. But, she's worth fighting for."

Tyler smiles widely, tilting his head to the side as he asks. "Have you told her any of this? How you really feel about her?"

"I tried, at the Halloween party. But, she thinks that she pushed me into telling her that I love her. When, that wasn't the case. Tyler, I've been falling in love with her for months now, harder and deeper. It's impossible not to do so. But, my old habits and temptations keep messing me up and making me look like I don't care for her." He hears me say, exhaling heavily as the fog around us builds and I feel something moist hit against the tip of my nose. It's freezing outside and we're crazy for sitting out in the cold for this long. But, the fresh air and silence between one of my best friends and I makes it all worth it.

"When we get back home, I want you to tell her all of that. Go back into the guest room, lock the door and just spill it. Stefan, she doesn't believe that you love her because you've never really opened up like this to her. You need to do it, man. You need to tell her everything, even if it hurts you to say it all. At least she'll know it's the truth." He stops, squeezing my shoulder as he adds in softly. "And, now that the freezing cold has cleared up that hazy brain of yours, at least you can think about what you tell her before you say it out loud." He jokes, leaning into me while we both laugh.

We're quiet, looking out into the distance as I glance up, feeling more moistened and light flurries hit my ice cold feeling cheeks and nose. "It's snowing." I comment out loud, watching Tyler laugh as he slides off the hood of his truck. "Yeah, sure is. Let's get back before the roads get bad and we freeze to death out here."

My shaky legs hit the ground with a thud, my arms holding myself up as I steady myself and shake my head back and forth. "Tyler!" I shout out, watching him open the drivers side door as he stops and looks over at me. "Yeah?"

"Thank you for the advice." He laughs, his breath misting up around his face as he states. "Daniel told me the same thing when I was having trouble with Caroline. Although, he said something along the lines of pulling my head out of my ass and getting my girl back." He smiles, watching me shove my tingling and frigid feeling hands into my pockets.

"He was always full of good advice. Smart man." Tyler hears me say as he agrees with a nod of his head. "Yeah, he really was. Now, in the words of our fallen comrade, pull your head out of your ass, Salvatore and go talk to Elena. A little sobered up this time." He tells me, wiggling the bottle of whiskey in his hands as he tosses it into the back seat and smirks. "I'll hold on to that, in case I need it tonight when you two are busy making up." He grins, shutting the door while I let out a laugh and make my way back to into the truck. Ready to face her and make up for my mistakes and hurtful words.

* * *

The fire still burns in the living room when Tyler and I make our way inside the house. The cold feeling of my skin instantly begins to heat up as I notice the fire still burning in the fireplace.

"Looks like everyone else, called it a night, all except for her. Seems like she's been waiting for you." Tyler whispers softly, pointing out that Elena's curled up on the couch, a light green blanket thrown over her body as her hand rests underneath her head and she whimpers out something that neither of us can decipher.

"I'm going to go upstairs too, let you two talk down here, all alone. Looks like Matt and everyone else went to sleep." He replies, telling me good night before heading up the stairs and into the master bedroom where I know Caroline's already anxiously waiting for his return. Bonnie and Damon must have gone to sleep hours ago too because the only person that seems to have been waiting down here is Elena. Her journal's open to a half written page, dated with today's date and she's still wearing the same clothes from when I saw her earlier.

Slowly and cautiously, I make my way to the couch, sitting near her feet as she stirs a little and rubs her eyelids, opening them up widely. She doesn't say a word, just looks me over while slowly pushing herself up from the white suede couch underneath her body.

Clearing my throat, I raise my hand up before she can even speak. "I don't want you to talk. I just want you to listen to me because I need you to hear me out." I tell her, watching her brown eyes widen as she leans back into the arm rest, crossing her arms over her chest and bringing her knees towards her, wrapping her arms around them instead.

"You were right, I am a coward. I'm a lousy excuse for a man. But, damn it. I love you so much that I thought pushing you away after I hurt you was a good thing because I keep screwing things up." I inhale deeply, watching as she stares at me cautiously. "So, here's the truth, I've been trying too hard with you because it terrifies me. Giving you my whole heart, it scares the hell out of me because I've never really been anyone's 'exclusive' boyfriend. Makayla and I, all we had was a sexual relationship. She called me over whenever she needed a quick little distraction. We were just sickly dependent on each other for sex and nothing else. However, with you..." My voice trails off as she adjusts herself and nods her head, sighing deeply.

My palms are sweating, the fire's dying down as I glance into it and I speak without looking over at Elena's reaction. "It's different, this whole relationship is new, exciting, exhilarating and I can't get over the fact that someone as smart, funny and as adorable as you would ever love someone like me. I'm a reckless guy who says stupid things and does even dumber things. I make mistakes and I'll say a bunch of things that I don't mean just to push your buttons because I know that our fighting will lead to making up and it'll be even better." She smiles a little, hearing me continue. "I will go to the ends of the earth just to see you smile, I'll protect you with my life. I'm not good at being a boyfriend. But, I'll try because of you." She leans forward, placing her left hand over mine as I stammer out. "I can't lose you, Elena. I want to fix this because I know that I screwed up. But you need to understand that you're the only thing that has ever been good in my life and you're the only one that matters to me. I know I've hurt you already. But, give me a chance to prove to you that I can and will fight for us no matter how hard things get. Because, you are worth all the pain and heart ache. You make it all worth it."

Her fingers brushing over the small burn marks on my hand from the accident, make my heart drop into my stomach as she lifts my hand up and brings it to her lips, kissing the scars and my knuckles. Without a word, she scoots closer to me, pulling the blanket and covering us both up, Elena wraps my arms around her and lays her head against my chest. I can feel her damp cheeks brush against the fabric of my shirt, nuzzling her head against it as she speaks softly with a simple, "Okay."

We sit there, listening and watching the fire die out as she lifts her face up to me so that our eyes are locked on to each other. Smelling the sweet and familiar scent of lavender and vanilla makes my senses go wild and I'm pretty sure that if I died right now, I would die a happy man as she cups my face in between her palms and softly says before kissing me slowly and gently. " We're both flawed, Stefan and we're both going to make mistakes both apart and together. But, I can't stop feeling this way about you and I don't want to stop feeling this way. I love you, Stefan and I want you to let me show you that this between us, isn't as scary as you imagine it to be."

* * *

**A/N: I feel like this chapter really cemented Stefan and Elena's relationship. Not to say that they won't fight still since this is a story about their ups and downs as well as everyone else's and the journey they're going through. I just think that at this point, Stefan and Elena finally cleared the air a little more. So, what's going to happen if the snow storm which is coming their way traps them all together at the cabin? Any ideas or thoughts? ;)**

**Reviews are always appreciated!**

**Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. PART ONE of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless rookie firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**Hope you all like this chapter, it has a little bit of everything.**

**Follow me on twitter for updates or just to chat about my stories at: BePassionate_24**

**Thank you all so much for reading & enjoy! **

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Twenty-Six**

**-Bonnie-**

"Come back to bed, I'll make it worth your while." Damon smiles at me, a lazily and sleepy grin forming across his face as he rests his cheek upon the cotton and fluffy pillow beneath his head. There must already be at least 2 inches of snow on the ground and it just keeps falling as I watch the windows in the bedroom fog up. The news keeps saying that the Lake George and surrounding areas will be getting whiteout conditions and if that becomes the case, none of us will be going anywhere until it clears up. I'm curled up near the window in an old rocking chair, pushing my feet against the wooden flooring and thinking about our wedding of all things. I can hear him stir, flopping over on to his side as he exhales loudly and mumbles "Whatever" under his breath before he begins drifting back to sleep.

"I think we should do something nice to honor your parents at our wedding. Maybe light some candles and say a little prayer at the start of the ceremony..." My voice trails off. It's past midnight and I can't sleep and when I get like this, I get very deep into thought and very sentimental, realizing that I'll never be able to meet what would have been my mother and father in law, makes my chest tighten and I can't even imagine what Damon's feeling.

"It'll be 12 years since they died, it happened two days after Stefan's birthday." He suddenly replies back to me, lifting himself up as he glances down at his hands and leans back against the head board. Damon's silent for a long time, licking his bottom lip and following my feet while I continue to rock back and forth as I hear him ask. "Do you think they'd be proud of me, Bonnie? Do you think my dad would be proud of me trying to keep my brother and I together?"

My head snaps up and I lift my body from the chair, leaving the blanket to lay over the back of it as I make my way back to Damon's side and slip right back into bed beside him. He lifts his arm up, pulling me into him and kissing the top of my head while I grab a hold of his hand and secure my eyes on to his. "Your father would be so proud of you for being such an amazing older brother to Stefan. Damon, I know that he doesn't say this very often. But, he really loves and respects you. I know he does." I comment, feeling his fingertips brush up and down my arm when he leans into me and sighs deeply.

"We should go outside and ice skate, with flashlights guiding the way and the porch lights too until the sun comes up." He suggests, a bright smile spreading across his face as he squeezes my arm and whispers into my hair. "Let's wake everyone up and go." I shake my head, pulling Damon back into me as I whisper against his cheek. "No, just me and you, they can join us later. I haven't been ice skating in a few years, I want you to be the only one seeing me fall on my ass."

Damon pulls back, moving a strand of my hair as he brushes his thumb against my cheek. "Okay, come on then." He urges, helping me off the bed and giving me a quick kiss before he leans down and tosses me some of my clothing. "Get dressed, make sure to bundle up. It's cold outside, baby." He winks, tossing the shirt he's wearing on to the ground as I exhale deeply, smiling at him and wondering how I got so lucky to know such an amazing man.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"We walk where the devil dances, you know. They say that about firemen, about the job we do because of how dangerous it is. Anyone at anytime can be affected by a fire. Patrick told me that on my first day and for some reason, I can't get it out of my head. All the people I've lost, I keep thinking about them. Elena," I pause inhaling deeply. I don't know what makes me think of it, the first thing that Patrick had ever said to me once I got into the firehouse on my first day of being a rookie. My eyes close as Elena leans into me some more and I place my hand on to hers, brushing my thumb over the burn marks she has on her own fingers, probably from her failed attempts at trying to make herself food at the apartment while I was on a 24 hour stretch at work.

"You scared me, more than anything. Finding you on the floor with your lips turning almost blue. I thought that I was too late to save you and I don't feel like that again. Baby, we need to talk about it, about the pills." My voice is low as I clarify my words, her hand stops it's movement from going up and down my skin when she turns her head and lifts it up from the pillow that it's laying on. We moved into the guest room about two hours after we sat on the couch downstairs and the fire completely went out. It was her suggestion that we share a bed since the heater in this room is busted and we're both legitimately freezing underneath the set of two not so thick blankets. The way she's looking at me, with the moonlight shining on her face from the two medium sized windows that are allowing the light in makes my heart feel deflated at the sorrow in her eyes. Elena pulls away from me, staring down at her hands as she says in a voice just above a tiny whisper. "I just, I wanted to forget for a moment, about our fight, about my mother, about losing my dad. I wanted to forget all the bad things that have happened-." Her voice cracks as she inhales sharply and looks away with tears in her eyes. "Losing him to cancer was the worst day of my life and I closed myself off to everyone after that, until I met you. You made me believe that trusting people was okay again, that not being so fearful could make me strong."

"The bad things we go through in life will still be there every day, it just depends on how we decide to deal with them that matters." She hears me say, I glance back to her when she turns towards me again and she sniffles while wiping away her tears. "I'm sorry, for being so stupid. For thinking that you don't love me as much as you do because-." I cut her off, leaning forward and capturing one of her fallen tears with the tip of my thumb.

"Elena, if I didn't love you. I wouldn't be here with you right now. I'd be somewhere else, with someone else. It was a stupid fight and I don't want it to happen again. Kissing my ex was stupid of me too and I swear right now, that I will never hurt you like that anymore. Sweetheart, we're going to be just fine. I made you a promise that I'm going to take care of you. You just need to put your trust in me. I am going to take care of us both, please believe that." I vow, brushing her trembling bottom lip with the tip of my thumb as I move towards her, crawling across the bed to get to her.

"I love you so much." I whisper in a quivering tone against her ear, feeling Elena's fingers trace my jawline as she straddles my lap and looks up at me. Her watery brown eyes are piercing into my heart like shards of glass and all I can see in front of me is a scared, broken young woman who wants more than anything to feel whole again and to be loved, purely.

"I love you too." She whispers against my lips before pushing me back into the mattress as our lips part and a growl escapes my lungs when I feel her thighs tighten around my pelvis and she lifts her head back up, moving her long brown hair back behind her shoulders. Elena stares down at me, a passion igniting like a fire I've never seen before is in her eyes, her warm and soft hand moving my shirt up inch by agonizing inch when she bites down on her lower lip and whispers into my ear. "Suddenly, I don't hate you as much as I thought I did a few days ago." I swallow the lump in my throat as she leans down and tugs on my earlobe with her teeth a little. My heart's racing, the feeling of want and desire coming over me and the need for her increases when she says one final thing that sends me off the edge. "Make up sex sounds pretty good right now. Don't you think?"

Rolling us over quickly so that she's pinned underneath me forces Elena to gasp out a breath and the abrupt position I've placed her in, the blankets resting around my waistline and her fingers looped around the strings to my sweatpants makes her eyes grow wide. "Not so playful anymore, huh?" I tease her back, hearing a shaky breath leave her lips as she smiles and readjusts her head against the pillows. Elena lifts her hand up slowly, her thumb making a circular motion against my cheek when she smiles back at me and says in a low voice. "I thought I could hate you for a few days, that hating you for hurting me was easier than loving you for being everything that I've been missing in my life. But, I'm so tired of being angry and I know you're hurting too. I didn't mean to scare you, Stefan."

The palm of my hand cups her cheek as she closes her eyes to my touch when I lean down and hover my lips over hers, whispering quietly against them. "I know that you didn't. But, I don't want to talk about that now. I just want to be here, with you. Because you're all I want to focus on right now." Elena's brown gaze meets my loving green eyes and she keeps her hand on my stubble covered cheek for a bit, licking her dried lips and lifting her head up slowly as our lips touch and I deepened the kiss between us. My arms press her against me, my hand pressed to the middle of her back, molding Elena's body so close to mine that I can feel her pulse become erratic just by the pressure of us being this close. Pulling away my eyes search hers, I could notice the fear in them, the longing and the pure devotion she was trying to hide from me. Elena inhales an unsteady breath as my mouth moves closer towards her, our noses brushing against each others for a minute and just when my eyes began to close, I could feel her warm and sweaty palm from her right hand gliding across the nape of my neck as she applies more pressure upon my lips between us, devouring and indulging in the bitter taste of whiskey and rum inside of my mouth.

Cradling her head and lowering her down against the mattress forces our lips apart when she groans out a disappointing moan and her eyes fly open. "We're going to wake everyone up." She giggles in a protest. My head moves down towards her ear, kissing her neck with my warm lips. Her breath is shaky and cool against my cheeks as I move my head and greedily take her bottom lip into my mouth, sucking on it tenderly. Elena moans out a sweet whimper as I catch my breath, speaking for a minute before focusing my attention back to her. "So what if we do."

* * *

"Stefan, it's past midnight and I'm pretty sure that everyone is going to wake up because...of...us." She stammers out the last few words of her sentence, running her short fingernails over the back of my neck and down my back, smiling up at me.

I pause, our legs a tangled mess between the sheets and soft plush blankets as I lift my hand up, placing my finger against her lips, watching her mouth close as she purses them together. "Hear that love? It's silence. Perfect silence. No one's in the house." My eyes glisten, smiling widely while leaning down and kissing her once more, feeling her head lift up off the pillow she's laying on as she murmurs out. "This is really bad, you know. What are they all going to think of us? One minute we're fighting, the next minute we're ripping each others clothes off in my best friend's guest room."

I laugh, brushing a few strands of her hair away from her face, making small circles against her rosy and heated feeling cheeks. "Mhmmm..." Kissing her cheek, I speak against her flesh. "They'll say we're crazy in love."

Elena laughs, pulling me close and wrapping her arms around me as she nods. "Yeah," She pauses, her eyes deadlocked on to mine as I feel my body collapse down against hers, my calloused fingers moving across her delicate skin when she concludes. "I don't want us to ever fight again, I don't want anything to ever tear us apart." Arching her body towards mine as my hand lowers to her hip bones and my fingertips slowly dance upon her skin, underneath her crimson colored nightgown. I can hear her whimpering as the waistband to her underwear where I've wedged my finger in between the space of her skin and the fabric bounces back from the elasticity of them. My words are true, the most honest and pure I've ever been with anyone in my life because I love her and I don't want to be a coward with what I feel anymore, dropping my guard and admitting the truth, I state. "Nothing ever will, I promise, sweetheart. Nothing will ever tear me away from you now."

She leans her head back, a shaky breath being released from her throat as I kiss her collar bone, grazing my teeth across her soft skin, she breathes out her words unevenly. "Good, because I hate when we fight like this, I hate being mad at you." My hands hoisting up her nightgown makes her pulse jump when she begins tugging down at my sweatpants with a tight grip.

"Me too." She hears me softly whisper, pulling her tightly against me and kissing her selfishly just as we both stop when a knock at the door is heard, echoing into the room. Elena and I can hear Matt's voice booming with laughter as he yells. "Get up you two lazy asses! It's snowing out and we're going ice skating, get dressed and come out here!"

With her arms still wrapped around me, she groans. "Do we really have to go?"

I shake my head, nodding and kissing her lips one last time before lifting my hands off of her body while she pouts at me. "Sometimes I hate your friends."

Laughing and getting up from the bed completely while readjusting the sweatpants I have on, I turn back towards her smiling widely. "They are your friends now too. Remember that, they are an amazing group of people, Elena. Caroline would give you the shirt off her back, Bonnie will let you cry on her shoulder and my brother, he adores you. So does Tyler and Matt. They love you. But, not even close to as much as I do."

"They do huh?" She asks with a beaming grin, proud of herself that the people who matter in my life, love her too. "Yeah, of course they do." I comment, watching as she crawls across the bed to get to me. Elena pushes away the sheets from around her body as she smiles and stands up on her knees, grinning. "Do your friends know how much of a bad distraction I am to you?"

Her hands reach out to me and I take a step back to the bed, my back is still turned to her as I hiss out a breath through gritted teeth, just thinking about her. "Yeah they do. They know you are the worst kind of distraction. But, they also know that I need you in my life." Turning around and pulling her against my chest, Elena gasps as my cold palm cups her cheek and I watch her close her eyes again, whispering, she repeats my words. "The worst kind of distraction, they really do know us well."

Tracing her jawline until my fingertips begin tracing her lips, I watch her eyes fill with a lust filled glance. "Care to explain the way I distract you?" She teases me, placing her hands against my chest and making small circles against the fabric to my shirt, she bites her teeth into her bottom lip, smiling like a shy little girl.

Clearing my throat, I sit down on the edge of the bed with her, turning towards her I find my voice after a few minutes and I speak. "Whenever I'm at work, all I can think about is you sometimes. What you're doing, if you're having a good day..." I feel her hand drop, resting on my thigh, she directs her long light green fingernails upward to the hem of my shirt.

"What I'd do to you if we were all alone, kind of like we are now. I heard Matt join everyone outside." She states, leaning into me and whispering her sentence against my ear which sends a shiver down my spine.

Swallowing down my anxieties, I turn towards her fully this time, my hand once again cupping her cheek as she closes her eyes and exhales as I lean my body forward and capture her lips sweetly and slowly against my own. The kiss starts out slow, my tongue brushing the inside of her cheek before it turns into a heated and open mouthed kiss filled with need and want. Pulling away with a staggered breath, Elena's eyes brighten. "Pretty sure that the door's locked too. We're all the way at the end of the hallway." She reminds me while exhaling a breath, the bathroom and a few fairly thick walls separate our room for the others, giving us a little more privacy.

"Good." I comment, moving my greedy mouth down the curve of her neck as Elena straddles my lap , her nightgown bunched up against her bare and olive colored skin, my hands instantly find her hips while pulling her down against my pelvis, my body aching for her. Elena smiles down at me, placing her hand against my chest and pushing me back into the mattress, this time a lot more forcefully as she grips her body tighter against mine, the feeling of anticipation building between us while she lowers her head and brushes her top lip over mine. "We've got a half hour before they realize we haven't gone out there yet."

I nod my head, resting the palms of my hands flatly against her thighs and pushing up the fabric all the way forward, I hear her exhale deeply as she stares down at me with a nervous look in her eyes. "I promise that I'm never going to do anything to hurt you." I remind her, my tone unwavering as she inhales sharply and places her hand against my cheek, brushing her thumb back and forth just above my left eye. "I know." She replies, leaning down and kissing my lips once more. Rolling us over, her head hits the pillow behind her and she groans out a breath as my rough fingertips caress her skin, setting it a blaze. "30 minutes." She laughs, kissing me as my hand moves towards her shoulder, slipping off a strap to her nightgown gently with my fingertips as I work on loosening her body away from the constricting fabric.

"30 minutes, I can do a lot to you in 30 minutes." I smile at her with a hazy gaze, leaning up towards so that we're chest to chest as I lick my lips and push our bodies back into the mattress beneath us, getting lost in the touch of her skin against my own.

* * *

**-Elena-**

Stefan's feet brush up against mine as he cups his own hand over mine that is tugging off his sweatpants urgently. "I didn't say that these 30 minutes were going to be quick." He whispers in a warning tone, a hint of seduction radiating into my ear, moving his lips to kiss just above my exposed right breast. Stefan lifts his head back up as my eyes flutter close I hear him add in. "They're going to go slowly,." He states with a pause in his words, sucking on my flesh as I feel his left hand tug down on the waistband of my underwear, kissing me feverishly, he grins against my lips while running his fingers over my pulsating wet core before concluding with the words. "very, very slowly."

My breathing hitches and gets stuck in my throat as if I've swallowed a frog, my hands searching and tugging off his shirt. I'm still a bit angry at him, still a little irritated and he can probably tell in the way I'm aggressively and a little impulsively pulling off his clothing. Stefan moves my hand away from the waistband of his sweatpants, kissing my wrist, he shakes his head. "I know that you're still mad at me, Elena. Hopefully this will make you a little less upset." He says, kissing my shoulder and moving his mouth upward to my lips once more. Stefan moves my hand over his now bare skinned chest as he keeps my hand against where I can feel the light thumping of his heartbeat. "I know that we've both screwed up so far with this relationship. But," He stops, licking his bottom lip nervously as he catches my gaze and stares into my eyes as if he's searching for a part of my broken soul. "I don't ever want to be away from you again." He says, leaning down and kissing me passionately as my arms wrap around him and I feel his knee wedge in between my legs, hoisting up my nightgown with his hands, he tugs down my underwear until they slide down to my trembling knees.

* * *

Our clothing's discarded on the floor as my hand travels down the sides of Stefan's perfectly sculpted silhouette and I watch the thinly white placed sheet around his waistline drop down to his hips when he lowers himself down against my body, kissing me and silencing my racing thoughts. My hands get lost in tracing the outline of every curve and every line of his skin, of his muscles, and the scars on his face. It's like a puzzle piece or a map to no particular destination, a map that I could spend days upon days exploring. I continue to get lost into him, in the way he leaves wet kisses on my skin, the feeling of his muscles tensing just when he's about to lose control, with just the gentle loving green gaze of his eyes and sweet caresses he's stroking me with as I feel the bottom of his feet brush against the top of mine. Arching my back towards him, Stefan kisses my collar bone working his hot breath and warm lips down my stomach, breathing heavily, they ghost over my skin while he holds me just a bit closer, a bit tighter as if he never wants to let me go again.

Neither of us say a word as his eyes meet mine and the tip of his finger brushes over my quivering bottom lip. "I want you," He stops, catching his breath while kissing my mouth with such roughness that my head pushes back into the fluffy pillows behind us. I can't breathe, lost in the feeling of his caresses and the warmth of his body against mine. I feel the anger I've been holding on to for so long begin to disappear as he touches my bare thigh and I whimper out a plea for him. My skin's tingling, almost as if it's on fire as I close my eyes just in the same moment that Stefan tormentingly brushes his lips over my ear and whispers out. "I need you." He finishes, locking his eyes on to mine, he lifts my hand away from his arm, kissing my wrist while working his way to kissing each of my knuckles, Stefan adds in softly. "You're my girl, Elena and you always will be."

Dropping my wrist while hovering his lips over my skin that is throbbing with the need of pulling him even closer to me, Stefan intertwines our hands together, my heart races with his every touch, every kiss makes my pulse spike and I'm pretty sure that if he keeps in control that I'll be the one nearly losing my mind. After a few minutes of his hands caressing my skin and his kisses deepening between us, Stefan rolls us over briskly so that I'm straddling his lap, rolling my hips slowly against his purposefully, I intently watch Stefan's face light up. He's got a lopsided grin of admiration spreading across his mouth and a pure look of desire in his eyes. Tightening his grasp against me with each of his hands pressed against my hip bones. He begins matching my movements, pulling me further down into him, I hear a moan leave past his lips as his breathing increases and he lifts his sweaty palm towards my cheek, cupping my face into his hand, he locks his eyes on to me and speaks through heavy eyelids. "Promise me that you'll stay with me, sweetheart. Promise me that no matter what happens between us, that from now on, we'll work it out together. And, I promise you that I'll make you the happiest you've ever been in your entire life." Smiling against his lips with tears glazed over my eyelids I speak softly into the warmth of the room before continuing where we left off once again. "I promise." He hears me say, dropping his hand away from my face, he nods and says. "I promise that I'm going to love you forever, Elena Gilbert."

* * *

**-Damon-**

"I swear to god, Damon. If you let me go, I will kick your ass!" Bonnie shouts, clutching on me to as she gets to get her unsteady feet and I slowly move us out on to the iced over creek. It's completely frozen and hardened over, Caroline's voice reassuring Bonnie that ice skating on the creek is perfectly safe and that as a little girl when her family was together for the holidays, she'd do it all the time.

"Sure, like that's going to help my anxiety." Bonnie shouts, clinging on to me as I laugh a little, feeling her fingernails digging into my skin even through her gloves. "If you let me go right now as a joke. You're going to be sleeping out here!" She threatens under her breath, calming a little as I lift my bare hand and cup her slightly warm cheek into my cold palm. "Just a little, ease up a little." I comment, releasing her death grip she has on me as I glance up to see Stefan and Elena walking towards us, holding hands as her red scarf blows in the chilly wind and my brother holds two sets of ice skates in his right hand. "Sorry we're late. We got a little distracted. But, now we're up and we're here." He laughs, glancing at Elena lovingly as she smiles back at him.

"They must be back together." Bonnie says, nudging my shoulder as I too smile over at my fiancee. "Yeah, I guess they are. Finally." I reply back to her, feeling her cling on to me once again as she states. "Look, Damon. I'm not that scared anymore." She says, suddenly letting go of my arm and pushing off with the tip of the silver blades on her skates. I stare at her, gawking as she spins around the creek like an Olympic athlete and grins widely while landing on the tip of her toes.

"I thought you said you didn't know how to ice skate!" I yell out, hearing Bonnie giggle out a breath that mixes in with the cold and creates a thin film of fog around her face. "No, I said that I haven't skated since I was a child. There's a difference, all I needed was a little tiny bit of support and you have that to me. Thanks, babe." She smiles, lifting up her right foot and pushing off with it as she does a small circle and them glides over to Elena who looks terrified.

* * *

"Come on, Elena. I've got you." Stefan tries to tell her as Elena latches onto Bonnie and shakes her head. "You'll make me fall." She protests while swatting away at his arms, we're all standing just inches apart as Stefan laughs and looks over at me. "Oh come on, if anything happens. We're all CPR certified, know how to deal with crises and above all, we won't let anything happen to any of you. Skating on an iced over creek isn't the safest anyways. Although, you seem to be forgetting that you're on this little weekend get away with three very overly qualified firemen." He directs his last words towards Elena who's rolling her eyes at him and shaking her head. "I don't care, you're a distraction." She states.

Elena and Bonnie both turn around, hearing the snow crunching under the feet of Caroline and Tyler who are rushing over to us hand in hand, excited smiles on both their faces. "Sorry we're late too!" Caroline grins, dusting off the small amount of white powdery snow on a bench near the creek as her and Tyler sit down on it and lace up their ice skates.

"Oh, look at that. One more firemen who could save you in an emergency. That makes four of us. Now, come back over here, babe. Please." I'm biting my tongue, trying to not laugh at the sheer look of agony on my little brother's face as his girlfriend and my fiancee move further and further out on to the creek.

"If you want me, Stefan. All you have to do is come and get me." Elena teases, finding her balance and twirling around like a ballerina with her arms up above her head as she giggles out a breath and enticingly waves him over with her arms.

"Stop playing hard to get." Stefan retorts, pushing off the ice a little more and gliding over to Bonnie and Elena pretty quickly.

"It's all part of the fun. She clearly wants to be chased, bro. So, get moving!" I exclaim, moving towards my brother and shoving him a little more in the direction to where Bonnie and Elena are until he falls on to the ice and shouts out in pain. The look on Elena's face is priceless and riddled with worry as she rushes over to where Stefan is leaned over his knee, clutching it against his chest. "Ouch, it fucking hurts, you're an ass Damon!" He screams at me as I wave him off, shrugging my shoulders and moving over to Bonnie while she goes back to gliding across the ice.

"Damon, that was mean." She points out as I smile mischievously and glance back over at them. Elena's swatting Stefan's shoulder now and calling him a jerk for faking his injury just to get to her once again. "Well, it worked. Didn't it?" I ask Bonnie with a beaming smile, hearing her huff out a breath as I watch her begin to shiver.

"We should get back inside, start a fire, heat up in bed." I suggest as she leans into me, wrapping her arm around my waistline when our steps fall into sync. "Caroline wanted me to go shopping for more groceries with her, she said that you guys should go out for some more firewood too. The news says that the snow is going to get even worse tonight or it could stop falling all together. It'd be better to be on the safe side though."

"But-." I'm irritated, we haven't been alone really that much since we got here the other night and all I want to do is spend time with her. "Fine, later tonight then. You and me, alone. Or, I'll just have to wait until we get home. Then, we can be alone without interruptions or anyone bothering us." I comment as she leans forward, kissing me sweetly when she says. "I think we can wait until we get back home. The idea of not being interrupted when I make you fall apart because of me, sounds perfect."

* * *

**-Tyler-**

"How'd the cabin getaway treat you all? I'm surprised to see you back from it so soon." Patrick stops me in the hallway near the lock rooms as I readjust my work back against my shoulder. The snowfall hadn't been too bad and realizing that Caroline had to be back in town for her an interview with the police academy and an entrance exam made us cut the short trip. Luckily, we waited until the roads cleared up enough until we decided that we needed to get back to our lives and with the start of the week, getting back into work has been crazy.

"Yeah, well, If it were up to my wife, we would have stayed there for longer. But, we needed to get back to work and back into town because she's also helping plan Stefan's surprise birthday part with his girlfriend, which is in four days. He's going to be 22 and he's like a brother that she's never had. So, she wants to make this really special for him." I comment casually to Patrick as he nods and pats me on the shoulder.

"That's good, as it should be. I know that Stefan and I have had out differences. But, he's a good rookie and he's going to be an exceptional firemen after his probationary period is over, he'll make a great addition to our team. All thanks to the guiding hand of you and his brother." He smiles, taking a step back and crossing his arms over his chest. "Listen, Tyler. I stopped you because I wanted to talk to you privately about a few things. So-." The sirens and blaring of the alarms at the station come alive as Patrick turns away from me, telling me that we'll talk about whatever he wanted to say later on after we go on the call of a structure fire a few miles out side of downtown Manhattan, which sounds urgent.

"Let's roll boys!" Damon says shouting towards Stefan as I watch him, Stefan and Matt all jog past me and towards the apparatus bay support station that houses our equipment. I can hear Stefan's brother in the distance tell him that it sounds like a pretty bad fire and that a few people have been hurt in what everyone thinks was an armed robbery gone wrong and the place was set ablaze to cover up the evidence. "Patrick said that the whole building just exploded." Damon says, unsure of where we're even going.

Rushing into the area where I notice Matt, Stefan and Damon all suiting up, I can feel my heart beating rapidly against my chest, watching Matt jump into the firetruck he turns towards me and shouts out. "Two other departments are already on the scene according to Patrick. It's good because we'll need all the backup we can get." He adds in, starting up the truck as I nod, taking a seat beside him after Stefan and Damon situate themselves in the backseat.

"Where are we going?" I can hear Stefan shout out loudly over the noise of the radio blaring in our ears and just when I open my mouth to reply to him, we all hear the dispatcher announce the location of the explosion, sending all of us into a tailspin of emotions as she repeats "Engine 17, Engine 22, Engine 35. Truck 14. Firehouse 17 en route, Structure fire. 1765 Prichard St. 1765 Prichard St."

"Prichard Street?" I can hear Damon question loudly over the sound of the sirens and dispatcher when Matt turns down the radio and glances back at him through the rear view mirror, swallowing my fears down, I whisper under my breath the one thing the four of us already know but haven't had the heart to speak of our loud. "It's Rosie's diner, the one Elena works in. The diner she's working at today where Bonnie was supposed to meet with her for lunch. It's the scene where the explosion occurred and they're both there."

* * *

**A/N: All I can say is that once the brother's find out what Tyler realized about Bonnie and Elena...They are both going to lose their shit...completely.**

**Reviews are always appreciated. So, please be sweet and leave me one. :)**

**-Until Next time!-**

 


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. PART ONE of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless rookie firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION! Just a quick little reminder... I really apologize if this update makes any of you cry, I just wanted us to really feel the emotions of the characters.  
**

**Anyways, enjoy and thank you so much for reading. xoxox**

**Follow me on twitter at: BePassionate_24**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Twenty Seven- **

**-Damon-**

There are fumes and ash falling everywhere around us, black clouds of smoke rising up into the sky and it makes the area look almost as if it's the end of the earth that's beginning to happen. Darkness surrounds the firemen and black soot covers their gear, people screaming and rushing in and out of what's left of the building as I stand there, frozen in place. Praying to god that we find them, praying that they're still alive.

"Damon!" I hear Tyler shouting at me, his voice sounding distant and distorted as I stand there, swallowing down my fear and dread. "Dear god, please let me them be alive. Please, don't let me give up until we find them." I whisper out under my breath, rushing back to the truck and helping assist the other guys with the equipment needed to help control the blaze. My hands are shaking, my mind reeling with where Bonnie and Elena are inside of the building that doesn't even resemble anything at all and then I hear him shouting out into the madness of all the chaos around us.

"You need to let me get in there! You don't understand, damn it, Patrick. I need to get in there!" Stefan's screaming at the top of his lungs, being held back by Matt and Patrick as he attempts to squirm his way out from their grip.

"You need to let me into the building, you need to let me go!" He shouts at them, wresting his way out of their grasp as I watch him pull down the goggles over his eyes as he readjusts his air pack and runs towards the building without hesitation.

"He can't go in there by himself. Son of a bitch! Stefan, you're going to get yourself fucking killed!" I'm screaming back at Patrick as he walks over to one of the other captains from another fire station and I overhear them tell a group of guys where to direct the fire hoses and send the rescue teams. Ignoring Patrick and running after my brother, I pull the mask over my face and breath in deep, watching Stefan clutching an axe in his hand as he looks back over at me. "We need to find them." He says urgently, pleading with me to not stop him as I close my eyes, replying back loudly right before we go into the building together. "I know, so let's go."

* * *

Smoke fills the air, wooden beams litter what was once the floor of the diner as I step over them and flash a flashlight through where the entrance once was. "Bonnie! Elena!" I'm screaming their names, my heart racing and my eyes scanning every single area of space. Everything's burning, the chairs, tables and the booths are all burnt and unrecognizable, everything covered in blackened ash, pieces of burning drywall, wood and other debris as I inhale, my oxygen tank wheezing out a noise. Stefan and another guy from a nearby station are walking around the dripping wet hollowed out structure of what's left of the diner. We shouldn't be in here yet, this shouldn't be a recovery mission for the dead, not yet. "We're not looking for bodies." I keep telling myself that as I cautiously walk around, hoping that if I say it long enough while I lift my hand up and scan the area in which I'm searching for them that I'll start to believe my own lies. _"We're not searching for bodies...They aren't dead."_

"Damon!" Stefan yells out, pulling me out of my daze as he waves me over in the dimmed darkness and I can see him take his oxygen mask off, placing it on someone else's face.

"What is it?" I ask him, swallowing down my racing thoughts as he shakes his head. "It's Luke, he's barely breathing. Call it in, do it now!" Stefan says, turning to me as he lifts up his fingers of the bodies that we've found so far, indicating that not only are Elena and Bonnie trapped in here. But, so are Elena's manager, her co-worker and who knows how many more people.

"It's okay, you're going to be okay." Stefan says to him, trying to calm him down and distract Luke from his injuries, a wooden beam sticking out from his thigh and blood covering my brother's gloves as he tries to control the injury.

"I've got him," Stefan pauses, turning back to me as he states through the face shield that's protecting his eyes from the falling debris, dust and smoke still billowing into the air and filling out lungs.

"I'm going to go get him stabilized and once I do, I'm coming back in here to help you get them out." He tells me, yelling out to the rescue squad that we've got one injury so far and from the looks of it, one fatality, a woman who I already know is, Rosie.

* * *

**-Elena-**

I'm pretty sure that this is what heaven feels like. A warmth of calm comes over me as I close my eyes and feel the cold dripping water above my head, coughing out a breath as the pain in my lungs increase, breaks for from the moment of serenity. I can't really remember what happened, all I know is that Bonnie and I were heading back inside to grab her purse when a young man and woman rushed in, demanding money from Rosie and pulling a gun on her. We had just opened the diner for the day and Bonnie had changed her plans so that we could do a quick breakfast before my shift started. Luke was behind the counter, Rosie was in the back near the kitchen, telling the cook to clean one of the stoves properly right before it happened. We were robbed and shots were fired.

Chaos broke out the moment that the guy in a black ski mask shouted at Luke to empty out the cash register and then everything went dark, a loud explosion caused us all to become disoriented. Bonnie was standing beside me, I know that. But, now I don't know where she is. My ears hurt like hell, my head feels as if it's going to explode and then I collapsed, feet away from her and from everyone else as whatever exploded blew me off my feet, ending up here all alone. The roof of the diner is almost gone, all I can see in front of my hazy eyes now is a sky full of darkness and a small beam still burning with an orange glow of fire around it. Moving my body is impossible, coughing out a breath makes my lungs feel as if they're burning up inside and as much as I try to fight staying awake, I'm slipping in and out of an awakened state of awareness.

Every time I close my eyes, I catch flashes of something dream like and yet my brain can't really process what it is. "Stay awake, just stay awake." I plead with myself, tapping my hand on a metal twisted beam that's fallen just a few inches away, trapping me underneath it. "Help...Help me, someone, please help me!" Trying to scream for someone to save me makes my raw voice even more weak and after the silence sweeps over me again, my head lays back down into the dirt and coldness. I'm giving up and finally giving into the idea of death crosses my mind just in the moment when I close my eyes again and finally give into the calming sensation that's returned to my body. Praying for a painless death, my mind begins to drift the allure of finding peace...

" _Luke, what are you doing out here?" I giggle out, feeling him pull me closer as he stands behind me, the wind whipping my hair back as I stand on the docks of what looks like a cabin in the woods and a lake in front of me, similar to the one that Caroline's family owns. He watches me crossing my arms over each other. "You can't stand out here all alone. You know, I'm your best friend and I came out here to make sure that you were okay."_

" _I'm fine, just tired." Looking out towards the water, Luke places a thin blanket over my shoulders, pulling me into a tight embrace as he rests his chin against my right shoulder. "Everyone's in the house, waiting for you. I can't find Stefan though. But, I'm sure he's inside too." He says._

_Turning towards him, I shift my head up and lock my eyes on to his when he says the words. "Okay. But, I'm not ready to go yet though, I need a few more minutes, a little bit longer. I want to stay here a little longer, with you." I comment, turning in his arms and cupping his checks into my palms, we're both crying as I search the broken expression of my best friend's face. Tears fill my eyes as he nods. "I've already accepted it."_

" _Accepted what?" I question with a confused gaze, noticing that his clean clothing. The thin white button up shirt is starting to become covered in a darkened film of dirt and he's leaning into me with the most heartbroken look of his eyes that I've ever seen. He doesn't answer me though. Luke just stands in front of me, wiping away my tears as he exhales and adds on. "I know you're scared. But, it's okay. You won't hurt anymore, you'll be free. It's almost time that you let go." He tells me, releasing his grasp and kissing my forehead before he starts walking towards the house, turning back to me and extending out his hand. "Don't be scared, sweetie. Take my hand and we can leave this place. We can find peace."_

_Taking a deep breath, I look up at the house and then to look who's hand I've grabbed. The lights are all on, loud music is playing from inside as I look down at my feet and my clothing. I'm not wearing any shoes, my dress is made from a sheer white lacy material and my left hand has a diamond ring on it. "Mrs. Salvatore, come on and join the party, we've been waiting for you." I look up to see Rosie smiling at me as she says it and then she walks towards the porch and opens the front door, a white light flashes in front of my eyes and just when I'm about to follow them up the stairs and in to the light, I hear my father's voice pleading with me to stay and to hold on a little longer. "Don't go, sweetheart. Please stay with them. It's not your time yet. Honey, you need to hold on, help is on the way."_

Gasping for air, my eyes fly open, doubled over in pain I cry out with pure agony in my voice. I can hear foot steps and someone shouting out my name. Sobbing cries make the sound of my voice weaker and strangled, tapping my exhausted hand against the metal at an attempt for whoever it is to come and find me, I shout out with nothing but desperation in my voice and a sorrowful exhausted tone when I hear him say. "Elena! If you can hear me, baby let me know you're okay!"

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

Dying. I've never been one to accept it. The thought of it makes me scared and the fear prevents me from wanting to give up. "Keep fighting." Something forces me to keep my eyes open and myself in a blissful state, maybe it's the thought of seeing Damon again, the thought of my dad walking me down the aisle to the man that I love. Tears begin to fall down the sides of my cheeks. I can't move my legs or my arms because they're trapped under something and it's heavy. The dripping water from the beam above my head leaks a mixture of water and particles of whatever fuel they had used to torch the diner with. Closing my eyes, I listen to the noises around me and the scary part is all I hear is a drip drop, drip drop sound echoing out into the darkness of smoke. The background noise of sirens are a blur because as much as I want to believe someone will find us. I know it's been hours and the longer we're here, the shorter time we have.

A heavy set of boots, stepping over something that echos makes me fill my hurting chest with air as I try to speak and then I hear his broken voice screaming out my name. "Bonnie, don't move. Baby, don't move. I'm going to get you out of here. I promise, I'm going to get you out of here." He says with an urgent tone, his blue eyes filling with relief as my eyes begin to grow heavy just as the radio on his shoulder echos back at him. "West end of the building, I found a body."

"Damon, I can't move." My words cut out between strangled sobs of 1,000 emotions. I'm relieved that he's here, thankful more than anything that he'll save me. But, my heart drops into the depths of my stomach as I listen in closely to what his radio is saying rather than his comforting words. "Damon, it's a woman. I think I found Elena. She's barely breathing."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

"Three people are critically injured, one fatality as of right now." I overhear Jeremy Gilbert tell me as he searches the crowd for his sister. He's just as anxious as I am, running his fingers through his hair and pacing around the squad car.

"I haven't talked to her in weeks. I haven't talked to my own sister because of the stupid shit my mother's been saying. She's pretty much disowned Elena because she's now living with Stefan and doesn't go over to our mom's house. She says that my sister is a selfish little bitch for the choices she's making." He's rambling, guilt seeping from his tone of voice as I nod my head, leaning over to stop his movements because he's making me nervous and paranoid. I was supposed to meet with them this morning too. But, I got caught up at the police station filling out paperwork for my application to the police academy and just when I was about to send it in, I heard the news, saw Jeremy and Lexi rushing past me and asked if I could come along to the scene.

"Jer, she's going to be okay." I'm lying to him. I know that. Yet, I don't know what else to say as his eyes meet mine and I look away, watching the firemen extinguish the blaze and go in search of survivors, noticing our superiors do their jobs at trying to keep a crowd of bystanders back behind the yellow caution tape. They've all formed out around the scene of the crime and some of them are screaming, trying to get to what's left of the diner. But, our bosses are pushing them back, saying no one else is allowing in except for first responders because they don't want anyone contaminating evidence that we might be able to use in trying to catch whoever did this.

"She won't be, Caroline. I might not be the best brother in the world to her. But, knowing my sister and the way she stayed up at night, crying after losing our dad. This is going to change her and I don't know..I-." Watching the tears roll down Elena's kid brother's eyes breaks my heart as he attempts stammering out his words. But, he fails. Instead Jeremy turns back away from me just in time as we look up to see Stefan carrying a lifeless Elena out from the rubble and burned out diner, one of his arms is underneath her legs as her head rests against his shoulders and he limps out towards the awaiting ambulance.

* * *

**-Stefan-**

The moment I reluctantly hand Elena over to them, I dropped to my knees and looked up at the sky, hoping for rain to wash away my worries and my sins. I'm not that great of a guy, I've made mistakes and looking back on the things I've done, make me wonder if this is some sort of cruel punishment.

"Two dead, two critically injured. We couldn't find the suspects, there's no trace of them because like they had planned, the fire got rid of the evidence." I can hear Jeremy tell his boss as the blonde runs her hand over her face, patting him on the shoulder. "Good job, officer Gilbert." She says to him, turning away and stopping before she glances back to him and adds in. "I'm sorry about your sister. I'll be praying for her."

We're both quiet as Jeremy takes a seat beside me and looks down at his feet, the radio attached to his belt buckle drowning out the awkward silence between us. "I don't know what to say to you. I know you're a huge part of her life. But, I barely know you and I blame myself for that." He states truthfully, tightening his hands that are clasped together, hanging in between his legs as he stares down at the blanked specs of dirt and dust on the leather of his shoes. Shrugging my shoulders back, I lift my dirt and blackened hand up on to his knee as I look up at him with watery eyes and say in a quiet voice. "She's going to be okay. I got to her in time, I pulled her out of there and she's going to be okay."

Reassuring myself and him, I lean my head back and close my eyes. Another set of heavy footsteps approaching us makes my eyes reopen as my gaze meet's Damon's worried and exhausted stature. "Bonnie's in surgery and they said Elena lost a lot of blood." Biting down on his lower lip, he drops his body down into an empty seat beside me as he exhales deeply, removing his dirty covered helmet and putting it in between his legs. "Luke's died at the scene, they couldn't control the bleeding from his wound. Rosie was shot, so she died before the fire, at least that's what the police and Patrick are speculating. Whoever did this, shot Rosie and Luke before the fire started. Luke was found feet away from where you found Elena, Patrick think's he was trying to save her. They were the bodies that Matt and Tyler pulled out from the building."

Turning to my brother, my mouth opens to say something. But, I can't catch up with the new information I've just learned. How am I going to tell my girlfriend that yet again, someone she cared very deeply for is gone?

"Damon, tell me your lying." I beg him, hoping that maybe he is.

Shaking his head, Damon leans over to me and places his hand on to my kneecap with a firm grasp. He doesn't say anything. Although, I can see the tormented look in his eyes that tells me he's telling me the truth. Damon lifts his hand up, looking back to Elena's brother who's looking anxiously around at every doctor and nurse that walks by us in the busy and over crowded hallway. The diner had just opened and so thankfully there weren't any other people who were hurt. However, the explosion did cause some damage to another nearby building and the few people that worked in those areas were brought in only to be released a half hour earlier.

The silence that falls upon the hallway makes me fearful of what's about to happen next as Jeremy, Damon and I sit in the waiting room. Waiting and watching until a young woman with dark brown colored hair, who is none other than a doctor stops in front of us with a chart in her hands. Glancing down at it, she purses her lips together and clears her throat. "Stefan Salvatore?" She calls out, looking down at the three of us as I raise my hand and get up, brushing my dirty covered hand off my even dirtier work clothes as she looks up at me and says with a serious tone. "Mr. Salvatore, my name is Meredith Fell and I'm the doctor caring for Elena Gilbert. I know you're the one who brought her in and I wanted to update you on her condition."

Watching Dr. Fell clasp her hands together and lick her bottom lip nervously makes me even more anxious as to find out how Elena's doing. My mind wonders to Bonnie too. They said both girls lost a lot of blood when they were brought in by Damon and I, both Elena and Bonnie have possible broken bones and other unknown injuries. Elena was knocked unconscious and had some internal bleeding. Bonnie on the other hand was awake when Damon found her. But, she passed out shortly after she came into the Emergency room because of the pain from her broken leg and arm.

"How is she?" Both Jeremy and I ask in unison as Dr. Fell opens her mouth to tell us and just when she does so, we all stop in our tracks as we hear the loud blaring overhead speaker ringing out one of my worst fears. "Dr. Fell to the operation room. Dr. Meredith Fell to OR 6. Code Blue! Code Blue!"

"It's Elena, isn't it?" I hear myself ask her, my body feeling numb all over as she tightens the grasp around Elena's medical chart and gives me a pitiful look. "I need to go." She says hurriedly, rushing down the hall in a flash as Jeremy, Damon and I watch her running down the corridor, her white lab coat swaying with her every move as the double doors close behind her.

* * *

Moments after Dr. Fell leaves, I'm stumbling towards the elevators, I'm not thinking straight as I hear Damon calling out to me to stop walking and talk to him.

"Stefan! Where are you going?" He asks, his voice broken and the expression on his face is torn between staying and waiting for his fiancee to wake up from inside of the recovery room or to follow me, his emotionally torn apart younger brother.

"I need to get out of here, she's going to die and there isn't anything I can do. I," Lifting my arms in defeat up in the air and lacing my hands back behind my head, I shrug my shoulders as I say it again. I'm losing faith and hope all in these in this moment and with these words because I'm fairly certain of what's going to happen to her. "She's going to die, Damon. She just had a heart attack! That call that Meredith got, that was for Elena!"

"She won't. Don't say that. She's going to live and so will Bonnie. They're going to live happy and good lives with us. Stefan, if you give up now you're a damn-" He stops himself from finishing retorting his words at me while taking a step towards me as I back away from him and from Elena's brother.

"You really believe that? How do you know! You said that about mom and dad too. You told me that they were going to be okay, you lied to me, Damon! You lied to me then and you're lying to me now. Elena is going to die tonight if they can't save her and let's face it. I lied. I didn't get to her in time. She was trapped for hours!" My voice cracks as I feel the tears begin to roll down my cheeks. "I can't stand here pretending everything is going to be okay and either should the two of you."

I can hear my brother's booming and anger filled voice shout after me. "I know that they're going to be alright because it's the only thing I'm clinging to, Stefan. It is the only thing we have left to hold on to. It's called hope. You should fucking have some, because those two women are fighting for their lives right now and they need all the prayers and hope they can get from us."

"Stefan!" Jeremy shouts, pushing up from his seat, probably ready to call me a coward or something just as offensive. Because, to be honest within this moment, I am one. But, I wave him off, turning back around when I state, before rushing into the direction of the elevators. "I gave up on hope a long time ago, brother. You should know that."

* * *

I can't breathe. I can't think straight and all I can see in front of my eyes is her limp body in my arms right after I kissed her lips and watched the ambulance rush her to the hospital. Searching for an escape, I push past a nurse and a hospital patient dressed in a blue nightgown as I catch the elevator that's going up a few floors. The elevator opens and closes, and I stand in the back, my palms laying flat on the cool feeling wood and I try to calm my staggered breathing. Yet, thinking about Elena clouds my mind and consumes me. The tightening in my chest makes it feel as if I'm suffocating and the minute the elevator doors push open once again, I rush out of it, gasping.

I'm on the 8th floor of the hospital, searching for somewhere, anywhere to run from my hastening thoughts. Looking up, I notice an older doctor walking out of the men's bathroom and I wait a moment before I head in. Looking around the room and noticing that it's empty, I stand near the sink, turning on the water until it's burning my skin. I want to feel the pain that they did as they laid in the dirt and darkness, almost dying, I want to feel the suffering.

Placing both of my hands against the sink after running them through the hot water, I exhale deeply, hoping that it'll calm my mind. But, not even the sound of the water rushing down into the pipes can calm me down when I look back up at myself and catch the look of pure despair in my green eyes. Inhaling, I clutch on to the sides of the porcelain sink and stare down into the water filling the basin, allowing the salty tasting tears to drip down my cheeks as I whisper out with a heavy heart and a faulting spirit.

"Dear God, I don't know where to start with this. To be honest, I haven't said a prayer since my parents died. I stopped believing in you after that. But, I'm begging with you now though, pleading with you to keep them both alive. Because we need them. I need you to keep them safe, so that Bonnie can marry my brother and they can live a happy and long life together. So that she can get the dream wedding she deserves. I need you to protect them, so that I can keep my promise to Elena. The promise of protecting her with my life." Exhaling through gritted teeth and a broken tone as I stare at myself in the mirror, deadlocking my gaze on to my tired looking eyes and filth covered face, I add in softly. "She is my light when the darkness surrounds me and I can't lose that." Shutting off the water, I turn my back away from the mirror as I inhale a shaky breath and feel my legs finally give out from underneath me. I feel like a small child again, leaning my back against the cold tiles of the nearest bathroom wall and listening to the silence surrounding me as I fall apart in my own fears and misery, the image of her face the only thing blurring my vision. The girl that I'd give my own life up for if it meant that she'd be okay is the only thing tearing my heart and soul apart from the inside out.

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**A/N: I will be continuing from Stefan's P.O.V. in the next chapter...A nice little Defan scene is going to take place, Elena's going to have an odd dream (kind of 'flash forward into her future) and Bonnie's going to be a bit confused about things...** **Also, for anyone that might be confused about the Elena dream scene..She was dreaming of Luke taking her to heaven with him...**

**-More goodness to come!-**

**Reviews are always appreciated. ;)**

 


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. PART ONE of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless rookie firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**As requested by a lovely reader of mine, this chapter does start out with a flashback. :)  
**

**Enjoy!**

**Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24**

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**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Twenty- Eight**

**-Stefan-**

" _Elena!"Screaming her name, I can feel my heart pounding against my chest, the heat from the burning remnants of the fire against the yellow fabric of my turn out gear, the water dripping droplets on to my helmet, I search for her continuously. "Elena!" I scream out her name in desperation, not hearing anything back at all except for the crackling and breaking wood falling around me. I'm trying to avoid it in my mind, the realization that she's dead. I can't think of that, I can't think about losing her._

" _Elena, baby if you hear me. Please, make a noise. Anything, sweetheart. Please." I'm begging, knowing that she's probably trapped underneath the large beams that have fallen and that are on fire all around us, the drywall soaked with water and dripping down droplets of water from our hoses down on the piles of ashes. The only thing I can hear is the crunching of broken glass, metal and wood breaking underneath my feet as I step over something in the darkness, listening carefully and stopping in my tracks. My shaking hands hold up a small silver flashlight as I scan the room, continuously shouting out her name. My mind drifts back to the time I was a little boy, being escorted out of my parents burning home as I watched it go up in flames and the firemen treated me for smoke inhalation, I think about her breathing, hoping that she's breathing at all. The smell of gasoline fills the air as plumes of smoke escape up in the sky. The loud wheezing noise of the oxygen tank strapped to my back shakes the memory of my parents dying away as I look around around the room, stopping the minute I look down at the yellow fabric of my protective suit, noticing that I'm still covered in Luke's blood._

_The sight of it makes my stomach drop, my heart sinks into my chest and I exhale deeply, tightening the face shield over my chin and face as I once again scream out Elena's name even louder with more desperation and urgency, stopping every once in a while to listen. I don't hear anything for a while, nothing at all. She's dead. Is my first thought, she's dead and I'll never get to see her again or tell her how much I love her, how much I find myself thinking about our future together. Emotions overcome me as I slip off one of my gloves, taking out a picture that I carry everywhere with me. It's of her. It's for her, the one person that has been keeping me together and complete since we lost daniel. Her beautiful brown eyes shining back at me, her smile warming my heart and clouding my eyes with tears as I push forward._

" _Where are you?" My voice cracking as I ask myself the question out loud, flashing my flashlight in my hands over the picture as I shout out her name one last time, before beginning to turn away. Taking off my helmet is dangerous, unadvised as everything around me burns and falls apart. The diner is reduced to a pile of ash and rubble, dead bodies pinned and yet to be removed. Over the last hour of searching for Elena and the others, I've given up hope until I hear a faint noise. It's a light tapping noise, almost as if someone's hitting a bracelet against a piece of metal and it's echoing just feet away to myself side. "Help me, someone. Please, help me." She pleas._

_Bending down and lifting up a piece of debris, I notice her red apron and ripped jeans, exposing a bit of her tan skinned ankle that's covered in dirt and soot. "Elena!" I shout out her name again, hearing her faintly and softly reply back to me. "I'm here, I'm alive. I'm hurt though, everything hurts so bad." She sobs, groaning out in pain as I move pieces of wood, metal and drywall from off of her body. Her hand reaches out to me as she lightly whispers my name before it becomes inaudible. "Stefan, you found me." Reaching for her dirt covered hand, I grasp on to it with my gloves. "I'm going to get you out of here. Elena, do you hear me? I'm going to get you out of here. Just don't move. You need to stay still and awake. You need to talk to me." I demand of her, hearing as she starts crying, repeating over and over again how thankful she is I'm standing in front of her._

" _Elena, you're trapped under a big metal beam and some pieces of wood. Listen to me very carefully, I need you to stay completely still because I need to move it off of you. One the count of three, I'm going to need you to move." I tell her, taking off my helmet just so that my eyes can make eye contact with her without any sort of shield covering my features. I want her to feel safe with me, to feel comfortable as everything else around us falls apart. "Do you trust me?" I ask her, exhaling deeply and noticing the blood gushing from her leg wound, the crimson color seeping into the blue color of her jeans._

" _Yes." She whispers softly, as I count out loud and tell her exactly how and what I'm trying to move off of her body so that I can free her. "Good. Now, on the count of three, I need you to push upward with your legs and pull yourself upward. I know it's going to hurt like hell. But, do you think you can do that for me?" Looking over at her, I notice the bruises and blood covering her face as she slowly and carefully lifts up her head while replying back. "Yeah, I can. I can move my legs. So, I know that I can."_

_Nodding, I exhale deeply, bending down with my knees and pushing upward with my arms, I hear her cry out in pain just as I left the heavy beam off of her body. Carefully, Elena drags her body away from the other fallen pieces of wood and twisted metal as I rush over to her once she's freed, taking my oxygen mask off hurriedly and placing it over her face as I tell her to breath in, slow easy breathes._

I cleaned myself up over an hour ago, sitting in the hallway alone as Damon went to go be with Bonnie. My fingers are curled around the arm rest as I wait for Meredith to come back and talk to me. Truthfully, all I want for her to tell me is that I can see Elena again.

"Stefan." I hear my name being called out as Caroline rushes towards me and I get up, embracing her tightly into my arms as she cries against my shoulder. I'm still covered in dirt, my hands and my face mostly. But, not my clothing because I asked for Tyler to bring me and Damon a change of clothes from our house and he did after he went home to wait on news about who might be responsible for what happened to the girls, Rosie and to Luke.

"What are they saying?" Caroline questions, backing away from me while wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and apologizing that she got some of her tears on my long sleeve light gray Henley shirt, glancing down at my dark wash colored jeans. Caroline shifts her gaze upwards, inhaling sharply she speaks with a tired tone. "I came by because I was with her brother when I heard the news. I take it Jeremy isn't here yet?" She asks me as I nod my head. "He was hear. But, he left to go pick up Anna and I gave him my apartment key so that he could swing by there and pick up his sister some fresh clothes. You know, when Elena wakes up, she's not going to want to be wearing that ugly looking hospital gown.

Caroline giggles a little, sniffling when she nods her head towards me. "I know. She's going to be okay, Stefan." Caroline comments, leaning over to me and placing her own shaking hand over mine that are clasped together.

"She had a heart attack, Caroline. They called her mom to see if they could get a clean blood sample from her. But, her mom's still a damn drunk and a damn user. So, her blood's not pure. They, asked Jeremy too. He donated his for her blood transfusion since they have the same blood type. I was going to give mine. But, the process for checking it takes a while and since Elena lost a lot of blood, they didn't have that much time to wait. Also, Bonnie had a transfusion too. Hers is from her mother, Abby's here somewhere." I explain as Caroline leans her head against my shoulder and exhales deeply.

I haven't showered the smoke or soot off my body, I can smell it in the air around us. Although, I have tried scrubbing off Luke's blood from my hands and my gloves, just thinking about him dying makes my stomach sick as I remember my clothes covered in his blood. My mind replaying the last words he said to me on a loop. " _Please, don't ever leave her, Stefan. She loves you, take care of her for me. Promise me that you will."_

Shaking the image from my mind, Caroline speaks softly. "Elena's in the recovery room right now, right? We can go see her soon?" She asks anxiously as I nod my head. "We can't see her until the doctor tells us. But, yeah. They're trying to wake her up." I comment, grasping on to Caroline's hand as her and I sit in the hallway, waiting and hoping that they'll both be okay.

* * *

_Kissing her lips softly, I wiped way the blood from her eyebrow, my tears falling down on to her cheeks as her eyes began to close on me and I knew I was losing her. I clutched her against my chest and wobbled out of the building, rushing towards the awaiting ambulance trucks and paramedics who looked just as confused and out of sorts as I was. "Over here! I got another one!" I tell them, screaming my words out loud as I collapsed on to my knees with her in my arms. Her limp body felt cold to the touch and the life seemed drained out her as I whispered against her ear. "I love you, Elena. Just please sweetheart. Please, stay with me. You need to stay with me. You need to stay with me because I can't be without you. I don't know how do that, be without you. I'm not very good at it." Closing my eyes, I turned her towards them, my lips brushed against hers as one of the guys took her from my arms and with my already bloodied fists, I slammed them against the dirty and damn gasoline soaked ground, yelling into the smoke filled air and up into the darkened black clouded sky when I shouted out in a distraught tone. "You took my parents away from me, you don't get to take her. You do not get to take the girl I love away from me because she is my entire world and I'd be lost without her."_

The beeping machines make my stomach tighten into knots as I wince down at the pain in my hands. Meredith bandaged them up after she noticed that my knuckles were bleeding and they looked like they had a bit of gravel mixed in from the ground that I smashed them against. "It's a miracle you didn't break your knuckles." She had said while rising out the dirt and gravel, not long after mentioning that she had gotten the okay for me to go see Elena.

"She's breathing on her own. But, she's not awake yet. She probably won't be for a few more hours. Although, Elena's alive because of you and you should be proud of yourself. You saved her life." She had told me, walking me to Elena's room and adding in for me to take as much time as I needed with her. The light creaking of the doorknob echos into the room as I close it behind me and glance over to where Elena's laying still, the machines in her room are all making a synchronized beeping sound as I notice her completely still body laying in the bed and tears well up into my eyes. I don't say a word. My weak legs carry me to her bedside, laying my head flatly against her stomach and trying to not break down. I attempt to calm my breathing. However, the moment I turn my head and look at Elena's bruises and cuts on her face, I lose it. It's like a part of me snaps and I'm pissed off at her for not waking up and at myself for not getting to her faster.

Sobbing into the blue blanket and against her stomach, I apologize for everything. Every stupid little thing I ever did to hurt her or to make her cry and I vow that from now own, I'll make it all up to her once she gets released from the hospital. "All you have to do is stay with me. Please, baby. Just open yours eyes and stay with me." I tell her in an anguished tone, continuing to lay my head against her stomach. Slowly lifting up my head, I take her hand under my touch, kissing her knuckles and carefully kissing the hand in which she has an IV attached to it as my gaze lifts. It's a beautiful moment, seeing the one person you love more than life it's self open their eyes and stare back at you. Her eyelids fluttering open as she blinks her eyelashes at me and utters out a simple and soft toned. "Hi."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

"We need to find out who did this, Tyler!" I exclaim angrily, pacing up and down the hallway as I speak into my cell phone, hearing my husband agree with me. "And, we will Caroline. It's just going to take some time." However, the moment I turn back around, my cell phone almost drops to the ground at the sight of her making her way towards me. "You got to be fucking kidding me."

"What is it?" Tyler asks in a curious tone as the cell phone slides against my cheek and I watch her pass by me. "Abby, Bonnie's mother just came into the hospital. But, that's not the best part. Listen to this. Elena's disappearing act of a mother and her husband, John are here too. Looks like they just followed Abby right down the hall with this distraught look of despair on their faces. Babe, I got to go."

"Caroline. What are you going to do?" He asks in a warning tone, telling me to not get in the middle of Elena's family drama. "I won't. Tyler, you've got nothing to worry about. Stefan just left her room a few minutes ago, so thankfully he isn't here yet to see this because it's not going to be pretty."

"Caroline, please don't do anything stupid. Be careful of what you say around them." He tells me as I quickly say that I love him and that I need to catch up to them before Stefan comes back.

* * *

"My poor baby girl. Please, Elena wake up." I overhear her mother saying with a set of what look like fresh fake tears upon her cheeks. Her mascara isn't even streaked as much as mine was when I first heard about the accident. I'm sure I cried ten times harder and more than her own mother is trying to do while looking down upon her badly injured daughter. After everything Elena had told me about her mother, I can tell that she's a poison and I want her gone.

"Come to blame the guy who saved your daughter's life? Because you know, they've gotten pretty serious and I don't think it's fair if you did that. Over the past few months, he's cared for her way more than you have." I spit out, crossing my arms over my chest as their heads turn towards me and Miranda drops the concerned mother of the year act right in front of my eyes. "There aren't any cameras or news stations in this hospital covering the accident that took place at the diner or talking about the survivors. So, you shouldn't be here either since we all know that Elena means nothing to you. She told me about the abuse at the hands of both of you and to be frank, I think you both should go to hell for the things you did to her."

Miranda scoffs at my words. "How dare you speak about me like that in front of my own daughter. I'm her family, not you and certainly not some boy she barely even knows and thinks she loves. My daughter is a naive little thing, thinking she knows anything about love. She couldn't possibly love him, it's a delusion." She tells me as I bit down on the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from saying something even more cruel. There's no point in fighting with a woman who thinks that she's the most perfect mother in the world. When the truth is that she only cares for her daughter when it's convenient for her to do so.

"Actually, she does. She loves 'this boy' very much and I know that he loves her even more. Mrs. Gilbert, with all due respect. My friends and I have become more of a family to your daughter than I think you've ever been since she was a little girl. Hell, my mother has been even calling every hour to check up on her progress. Personally, I don't remember hearing about you calling once in the last few months since Elena moved out of your house and now suddenly, here you are." I look at Miranda as if she's some sort of disease, a parasite that is so damn hard to kick. But, once you do kick it to the curb, you start feeling a million times better and that's how I see her relationship with Elena. She's been doing better these last few months without her mother. Yes, she's had a few slip ups. But, she's been better and she doesn't need Miranda in her life right now or maybe ever again.

"I won't stand for this disrespect young lady." Miranda tries to scold me as I hear a heavy set of boots behind me, his deep and tired voice echos into the room. "I think she said that Elena would be in a way better and healthier atmosphere if you both left, now." Tyler demands loudly, watching Elena's mother's eyes widen as she tugs on John's jacket and they begin walking out of her room, turning back to stare at Tyler and I with a sense of disgust on their faces.

"She's my daughter and I should be allowed to see her whenever I please." Tyler shakes his head, laughing a little as he closes the door in their faces before he says directly to her face. "She might be your daughter, Miranda. But, she should want to see you when she feels ready. It shouldn't be forced upon her. Creating a relationship with you. Because frankly, Elena has been doing amazingly well without your influence and as her new family, we'd like to keep it that way."

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**-Damon-**

"Eating alone isn't much fun." I comment out loud, taking a seat beside Stefan as he picks at his food, I haven't seem him since he disappeared. But, after leaving a sleeping Bonnie alone with her very worried sick mother, I knew that I needed to go in search of my brother. He's staring past me and out the window as he places his fork down and puts his hands underneath his chin. "I'm sorry for yelling at you." He says, finally meeting my gaze after a few minutes of silence between us and an awkward staring match.

"You were right though, I did lie to you after the fire that killed mom and dad. Stefan, I lied to you. But, it was only because I was trying to protect you from being hurt the way I was. We were just kids and I didn't know what else to say. I told you that they were going to be okay because I wanted to believe that myself..." My voice trails off as I place my hand down on to the table and hear him hesitantly clear his throat before he says in a soft voice. "I know you did. But, it wasn't okay. Damon, we lost our parents and we never really dealt with it. You know, while I was in the hospital and in my coma, I saw mom. She told me to hold on to my life, she told me to keep fighting because I needed to get back to you. I know I'm a pain in your ass most of the time." Choking back his words, my little brother places his hand over my own and grips his fingers against mine when he adds. "But I love you so much and I'm thankful for you. I want you to know that. I want you to know that I'd never want to change that. You're my brother, for as long as I live, you'll be my brother and my best friend."

Exhaling deeply, my fingers curl around his as I get up slowly and so does Stefan. We're standing near the table as his food gets cold. I can see the tears in his eyes as he probably see's the glazed over expression of pain and sorrow in mine when I embrace him tightly, whispering into his ear. " Well, all you got to do is stick with me and you're going to be one of the best damn young men and firemen that this station has ever seen. Just make sure to stick with me, kid. Don't ever forget that no matter what happens, I will always have your back. I'm may be your partner at work. But, above all of that. I'm your brother first and foremost. And, Stefan and no matter what happens in our lives, I don't want you to ever forget that if you ever need me. I'll be here for you, day and night. But most importantly, don't you dare forget that I love you and that will never change between us."

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**A/N: Caroline Lockwood is such a little queen! :) I love writing her so much in this story, standing up to momma Gilbert like that! :') Did any of you enjoy the Stefan and Damon scene?**

**Next up: We will be getting a better look into Bonnie's life through the eyes of her mother, Abby. Caroline will be on a quest to become a police officer as soon as she can so that she can help in putting the pieces together at whoever burned down the diner. Stefan and Elena share a very sweet and touching moment. And, Bonnie and Damon finally set a wedding date while talking about their future together.**

**Reviews are always appreciated. So, please leave me one. :)**

**-More To Come!-**

 


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. PART ONE of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless rookie firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**Enjoy and thanks so much for your lovely reviews, follows and favoriting this story.**

**May you all be blessed with love, happiness and good health in 2015!**

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**Before You Were- Chapter Twenty-Nine- **

**-Bonnie-**

Gasping for air, I look around the room. She's got her hands pressed against mine, her hair is tied up into a high ponytail and when I try to move, she's up in an instant telling me that it's okay, that everything will be just fine even though I can tell that it won't be.

"Mom.." My voice trails off, breaking a little as I try to turn my arm and cry out from the excruciating pain. Why the hell do all my bones and muscles ache and hurt? Why's my head feel fuzzy and why is my eyesight hazy? What happened? Why am I in the hospital with all these machines and IVs hooked up? All my brains seems to remember is dust and fumes, my ears were ringing and I was completely disoriented from the smoke all around me and then nothing. I remember absolutely, nothing.

"Shhh, everything is okay baby girl. Bonnie, you've been in accident." She tells me without even skipping a beat. My mother reaffirms my already learned knowledge, watching as my darkened and worried glance shifts from her to the tall, dark haired and slightly tan skinned, blue eyed young man standing behind her with his arms crossed over his chest. He's got a wrist band on his left hand that's red and has white letters across it, something with the saying of _"_ _what you call a hero, I just call doing my job."_ He spins it around nervously, looking at me with such interest and sadness as I notice that the wrist band also says _"_ _Firefighter"_ on the other side.

"You remember, Damon. Your fiance. Don't you, honey?" My mother asks encouragingly, prompting me to remember as I squint my eyes towards him and I lean back into my bed, trying to piece the information she's just given me together.

Damon. He's handsome and cute. Blue eyed and he's looking at me with this sad puppy dog like expression. Oh, the puppy dog, lost look in his eyes is heartbreaking.

Damon...Damon...Salvatore? He saved my life. He carried me out of a dark and scary place...Out of a building?

Boyfriend? Yeah, probably. High school crush, college lover? Hm, I could see that!

Wait, did my mother just say that "Damon Salvatore is my fiance?" As in, this guy has asked me to marry him.

Since when?

We probably did hook up and have a thing at one point in between those years of going to school together, I guess. Maybe we hooked up in a bathroom stale inside of a nasty old bar as he pressed his lips against mine too hard, keeping me from moaning out in a pleasurable tone. He looks like he'd be up for those types of things...He looks like a bad boy with a cute face. Which I've always kind of had a soft spot for.

God, I can't remember. I can remember him. Almost all of my time with him. But, for the life of me, I can't remember this "proposal of marriage"

He's hot. I mean he's got really nice blue eyes that I could get lost in, tan skinned, rough fingers that look like he does lots of hard manual labor and that look like they could really drive me crazy if they were pressed in just the right places!

But, you've got to be kidding me with this "fiance" business!

Who would want to put up with someone like me...I am a complicated, feisty, take none of your bullshit type of person. He doesn't look like he'd put up with me or balance me out at all. Am I really supposed to believe that he can?

Damon, the pretty boy has taken on the challenge of loving me...The smart and a little nerdy, Bonnie Bennett...Seriously? What kind of joke is this?

Oh, well...

He must be crazy! Yeah, that's it. He's crazy!

My eyes readjust to the room as Abby nods at me and Damon takes a step forward, brushing his thumb gently across my cheek and leaning down to kiss my skin. "It's okay if you can't remember. Sweetie, the doctors said you do have a little bit of temporary memory loss. You'll regain your memory all back within a few short weeks or sooner. It's just going to take some time, you'll be alright though." He tells me as I continue to stare at him with a blank expression on my face.

"Where am I supposed to live until then?" He laughs a little at my question, so does Abby as my lips tighten into a straight line and they can tell that I'm completely serious.

"With me, of course. I am the guy you're supposed to be marrying next year. I'll keep you safe, sweetheart. I promise. Bonnie, I love you." He winks, wiggling his wrist around and then for a split second, pieces of my missing memories fall into place.

"You're a firemen. You brought me to the hospital, after..." My voice trails off as I mumble "Damn it." under my breath. I can't even really remember why I'm even in here and what kind of accident brought me to begin with.

"Yeah. I am." Leaning into me again, he kisses my forehead, signaling to my mother that he needs to talk with her outside in the hallway as he tells me that they'll both be back in a few minutes.

* * *

**-Damon-**

"How long is this going to last for? Bonnie not remembering things, events. Important ones at that. She doesn't remember us being engaged at all. She knows we're together, clearly. But, how long is she going to keep looking at me with that deer in the headlights look when I say words like "fiancee" and "marriage?"

Abby closes the door to Bonnie's room behind her gently as she shakes her head and looks down at the floor. Her arms are crossed over her chest as she exhales deeply. "I don't know, Damon. You just need to be patient with her. It's all going to gradually come back to her. I promise that it will, I work with patients who have head injuries. I'm a nurse, that's what Bonnie was going to school for you know, before she met you."

Running my hands through my hair, I grip on to the strands of my short locks tightly. As if things couldn't be any worse. After her blood transfusion, she went unconscious. Now, my beautiful and lovely fiancee is confused and disoriented. And, I can't even remember if I left my mother's engagement ring in her belongings or if she lost it in the fire at the diner.

"I know. Bonnie still wants to be a nurse and I want her to be one too. But, look at her, Abby! She's a mess and I don't like seeing her like this." I comment, watching my future mother in law's eyebrows lift upward as she asks. "What are you saying?"

Abby watches me shrug my shoulders. "I don't know. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need to get my mothers engagement ring back before Bonnie finds out about it and I need to redo the proposal, all of it."

"Damon..." She pauses, leaning over and placing her hand on to my cheek as she smiles with watery eyes.

"You truly are an amazing young man for my baby girl. I hope you know that. Just give her some time, Damon. She'll remember it all." Turning on her heels and adding in over her shoulder, Abby smiles at me when she states. "And, even if she doesn't. Maybe this time you can ask her to marry you in a prettier place than a hospital room where she thought you were dying."

* * *

"Damon!" She's breathless and clutching her chest when she runs up behind me.

Caroline's face is beat red as she finally makes it towards me and I smile up at her, embracing her tightly. After a few awkward minutes, she takes a step back when she asks. "We don't hug. Like, ever. What was that for?"

"Bonnie, she doesn't remember us being engaged. She doesn't really remember the accident either and I just-." Placing her hand on to my shoulder, she smiles up at me with a sympathetic look when I utter out loudly. "I don't know what to do, Caroline."

I can feel her fingers tightening around my shoulder as she inhales sharply. "Ouch. That must hurt." Nodding, I shake my head. It hurts. It hurts like hell knowing that my fiancee now looks at me like a stranger and that it could last more than a week or two.

"But, you need to go do what the two of you do best. Damon, you need to talk with her. You need to be there for her. This right now, it's just a minor little setback. But, you and Bonnie will get through this. Damon, you have to get through this."

"Why?" Slips out of my mouth when Caroline looks at me and smiles sweetly, leaning towards me as she states. "Because that woman in there is the only one in this world that will put up with your bullshit and it's said once you find someone like that, then you never should allow them to slip out of your grasp. You love her, Damon. There is no question to it. You love Bonnie because you were her first love and she's yours. And, you can't lose it, you can't shake it, even if you tried."

Pushing me away from her gently. Caroline turns me towards the door as she tells me that she has to head home to meet up with her husband. But, that I need to stop overreacting about things and I need to talk to Bonnie. "Fine." She hears me say softly as I tell her that I'll be seeing her later and then I head off in the direction of Bonnie's hospital room, placing my hand on to the door and inhaling deeply before stepping inside.

* * *

"What happened?" Bonnie answers asks softly, turning towards the door and giving me a sorrowful look as I slowly make my way into her hospital room, closing the door behind me to give us some privacy.

"Is it true that we're engaged? Your my fiance?" Bonnie asks, laughing a little and running her finger over the cast on her left hand, her right leg is bandaged up with a break at her ankle.

Grinning at her, I shake my head. "Yeah, you know. I probably wasn't the first guy you'd pick to be with. But, I love you and that should mean something."

She runs her tongue over her bottom lip as she puckers them up and says with a small laugh. "Damon, I know who you are. I am totally aware of our relationship. But, I guess where my mind is a little bit fuzzy is the point in where we got so serious, for example. Why and when did we get engaged and who the hell called my mother to come visit me at the hospital?" She spits out, glaring at me suddenly as I scratch my head, pulling up a chair and sitting beside her bed.

"That would be me." My eyebrows lift as she frowns a little and scoffs.

"I haven't seen my mother in at least two years. We're not close, you know that ever since we went to school together and my parents found out that I was fooling around with you. They didn't like you very much. I mean, then they warmed up to you once they met you and they like you more than they like me." Her words make me fidget as I inhale sharply, she does have a point. Her parents like that I'm a good influence on her and they think I'm a nice guy, they know I'll take care of her and love her no matter what. Although, they've kind of been a little on edge lately with a few things. "You wanted to be a registered nurse, your mother keeps bringing it up. She said you were going to school for it and then you met me and you dropped out." I comment, feeling a little guilty as she gawks at me when she states in a tone of disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. I left that all behind for you because I didn't want to do it anymore. That was their dream for me, not mine."

Smiling and shrugging my shoulders back, I nod. I'm not proud of her deciding to give up on what she wanted to do with her life. But, Bonnie's been content working odd end jobs and trying to make her way into working with Caroline for the last year that neither of us really brought up the idea of her going back to school. "Yeah, even after I told you that it wasn't the best idea. You didn't care. Bonnie, that's kind of why your parents are still a little pissed off. They want you to go back to school for nursing and you still don't."

"So what if I don't? What if I'm happy with the way things are, why does that matter so much to them. All that should matter is if I'm happy with my life, right?" Biting down on my lower lip and running my hands over my face, I inhale deeply until I feel my lungs fill til a burning capacity with air.

"I don't know. To them it does. To me, I don't care if we're rich or poor. I don't care if we're living in a nice house or a shitty little apartment." I stop, taking her hand into mine and kissing her knuckles as she lifts my head up with her fingertips, patting the empty spot beside her. "What do you care about then, Damon Salvatore?"

Pushing back the covers and laying beside her, I place my cool feeling hand against her lips. Bonnie tries to talk as I smile and shush her while leaning into her and kissing her softly. "All I care about is you and that you're alive. I don't care where we're living or how much money we have. As long as I'm with you. Bonnie, that is all I've ever wanted and that is all I will ever need. You, Bonnie Bennett. All I have ever needed, has been you."

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"You shouldn't be here." I yell out at them both the moment I see them walking out of Elena's room and starting down the hall towards the elevators. "She doesn't need you. Not anymore." Adding in just to make a point, John turns around and blinks his eyelashes at me rapidly, rubbing his face over his hands as Miranda glares at me. "And who do you think you are telling me when I can and can't see my own daughter?"

"I'm her boyfriend." Licking my lips and taking a step towards them, I can see the hatred for me continuing to grow in Miranda's eyes and John's too. He's standing beside his wife seething mad and for the looks of it, if he got any closer to me. I'm about 100 percent certain that he'd throw the first punch square to my jaw.

"Her boyfriend? From what her friends said you're the one who saved her life, again. I guess a thank you is order for that." Her voice turns from cold and calculated to suddenly sweet and high pitched as I nod my head. "Yeah, well. I love your daughter and I'd give my life up for her if it ever came down to it. Listen, Mrs Gilbert. I want to make her my wife one day."

Choking on her own saliva, she looks at me with purse disbelief. "You can't be serious. You want to marry, Elena. You barely know my daughter!"

Truth is that we haven't even talked about it and right now telling Elena that I want to be with her forever isn't just the right time. But, her mother doesn't need to know that so I smile up at her and nod my head. "Yeah, we've talked about it a lot. The house we'll live in, the children we're going to have. Miranda, I said that I would take care of your daughter no matter what and I intend to keep that promise to her throughout every challenge we go through in our lives together and separately. Even if Elena and I broke up tomorrow, I'd never throw her out, I'd let her stay with me until she was stable and ready to make it on her own again."

She takes a step back, shrugs her shoulders and purses her lips together. "You seem so certain that the two of you will make it ten years down the road." She says to me as I laugh a little. I'm not certain about anything. However, I am fairly sure that if Elena and I do go down that road of _married bliss_ one day that I really don't want her mother or her stepfather who is eying me up and down like he wants to shove a knife in my back. To live anywhere near us or be my in laws.

"I'll let Elena know that you two stopped to see her. But, I really don't think that right now would be a great time. She's tired and has been through a lot." I comment nonchalantly as Miranda gives me a perplexed look and I extend out my hand when she scoffs. "So, what you've just said is that none of you want John or myself anywhere near Elena until she's better. Clearly, her other friends have made that very known."

I pop my neck and release the tense in it, dropping my hand to my side as I inhale through a locked jaw. "Listen, I personally think that your negativity isn't wanted here or needed at the moment. You and him, being here will only stress Elena out and she just came out of surgery in which she had a heart attack during it. So, please, for the sake of your daughter and her health. I will tell her brother to contact you both if and when she's ready to see you again."

"Fine, I guess your right." John suddenly states, making both Miranda and I a little surprised that he's even spoken since he hasn't said barely anything since they came into this building. "Let's go, Miranda. He's right. Elena can see us when and if she's ready." He snaps at her harshly, tugging on her arm as she gives me an angered look and I pivot away from them before they even make it to the elevator doors as I hear her cuss me out under her breath.

* * *

**-Elena-**

" _Talk to me, you need to talk me."_

Those words swirl around my head while I try to remember the hours he spent trying to free me from underneath the beams of wood and metal twisted around each other and on top of my body. My voice shook, leaning my head back as I listened to Stefan call out to another squad to ask for them to bring some sort of tools to free me from my confined space that I could barely get myself out of before he carried me out to the ambulance and I lost conciseness.

" _I want to talk about the future, the one I dream about at when I'm laying beside you. The one I want more than anything, one day. Maybe, if I'm lucky enough, I'll have it with you." I whispered into the darkness, hearing Stefan groaning out a breath, walking carefully to my side as he lays down beside me and holds my hand. His face is covered in dirt and dark ashed marks as he tightens his grasp and locks his eyes on to me the moment we both hear a few other firemen looking the situation over and talking about how they'll go about working with Stefan to free the part of me that's stuck._

" _She's stable right now. But, her leg is badly damaged and trapped and I couldn't free her. I tried. She pushed herself up half way and a piece of metal trapped her leg. I don't want to move her, so that's why I called for back up." He explains to them quickly, turning back to me as he smiles sweetly, taking off one of his gloves and stroking my cheek with his fingertips. "Tell me about our future, Elena. I want to hear it."_

_Exhaling out a ragged breath, I turn my head just slightly as Stefan clutches on to my hand again and he whispers as I hear a loud machine that sounds like a chain saw firing up. "Elena, don't look at them. Sweetheart, focus your attention and strength on me. Look at me and tell me about your dreams." He repeats again, forcing me to focus in on him as I lick my chapped lips and speak with a low and soft sounding tone. Stefan watches me close my eyes, a tear trickling down my overheated skin._

" _I always have the same dream, really since a few months after I met you. I dream about the house we're going to live in. There's a porch on the left side near the front door. It's got these rickety old steps that squeak when you step on them. There's a little girl's pink bicycle in the front with one of those white little baskets and there's a basketball hoop in the drive way with a little boy's basketball. We're married and we have two kids. We always have two kids every time I have this same dream lately." My voice falters as I feel myself fading away and Stefan caresses my forehead with his palm, pushing back my matted and dirt covered hair._

" _Stay with me, Elena. You need to stay with me." He says pleading me to stay awake while kissing my lips tenderly right before my whole world goes blank and I can't hear or feel anything anymore._

"Elena." I hear Stefan say in a velvety tone as he squeezes my hand and I open my eyes slowly, adapting to the bright hospital room lights around me while I moan out in pain and he covers my body back up with the light blue blankets that are falling off of the bed. He doesn't say anything else, he just smiles at me and then before I can speak. I can feel a sudden gust of a cold rush come over my skin as he pushes back the blankets and slips his cool feeling feet and then the rest of his body beside me. He smells like a mixture of burning wood, my own perfume scent of lavender and vanilla lingers on his clothes too and a tiny bit of mint aroma leaves his lips. He must have been chewing on the pack of hard candy mints he always carries around with him because he was so nervous to walk in here and see me like this. One of my eyes is closed shut, there's a darkened bruise on my right cheek, my hands and fingernails have dirt underneath them and all over the tops of them, my arm and wounded leg are both firmly bandaged up.

Thankfully nothing is broken. But, my legs and arms are badly cut up and I have bruises, lots of them.

"Do you want to know what I see when I think about our future together?" He asks me quietly, pulling me into his embrace, careful not to pull out any of the IVs and machine attachments that are all around me. Stefan lays his head beside mine, kissing my cheek and sighing out a breath as he states how thankful he is that I'm alive and then he mumbles out words that I swear must be a mistake. "I see us, married."

I'm quiet, unsure of what to say, unsure if I should even move or not because any sudden movement as to what he's just admitted to me might be taken the wrong way. "I see you as my wife," He pauses with trying to rephrase his words. Stefan begins licking his lips and nuzzling his face into my smoke smelling hair as he adds in. "I want to marry you, Elena. I want to keep my promise to you and I want to never be without you again."

Turning my aching body to him, I lean against my left arm that's thankfully not attached to anything as my eyes fill with unshed tears, my shaking and weak hand lifts up to cup his cheek into my palm as he wipes away my tears and leans his head against my forehead. Stefan brushes his lips against mine, pulling me closer as his eyes become blurry and he says in a sweet tone. "I know it's crazy. But, I think we should give it a shot because you and I, we make sense. We're perfect for each other."

I try not to laugh because if I do, my ribs feel like they are scraping against my insides and my lungs feel like they are burning and on fire. "Are you sure you haven't been taking hits off my morphine drip while I was out cold?" I ask him jokingly, my thumb rubbing his cheek and lingering against his jawline as he laughs too and smiles at me sweetly, becoming serious all of a sudden as I tell the fun atmosphere is about to change and just by the simple look of heartbreak in his eyes. Stefan is about to say something to me that I don't want to hear.

"Elena, there's something I need to tell you-." Stefan's voice breaks as I swallow the lump forming in my throat and the joking between us is sucked out of the room as both of our faces grow worry filled with sorrow. "I already know that he's gone, Stefan." Choking on my words, Stefan kisses the tip of my nose and pulls me against him, protectively holding me close to his chest while I begin to cry. I can feel his heart beating rapidly against my own, his hands making small smoothing circles on my back when I add in with a low and tired voice. "Rosie and Luke are dead, I know because I dreamed about them already going to heaven. Luke wanted me to go too. But, my dad was there and he told me I couldn't leave, that I wasn't done with whatever plan God has for me. He said I couldn't leave Jeremy." Clearing my throat and inhaling sharply as I grit my teeth from the pain, I hesitantly say. "I think he also meant that I couldn't leave you." My hand drops to his neck and I notice a few scratches and burns on his own skin. My fingers grazing against the scars as Stefan moves his arm away from my body and takes my hand into his own, kissing my wrist until I feel him press his palm into mine and he intertwines our fingers tightly together.

"I'm so sorry that I didn't get to them in time. I'm sorry that I couldn't have saved them too." Stefan's crying when he looks at me again while he speaks with a soft and apologetic tone. I can tell he's sincere and the deaths of both Rosie and Luke have impacted him as much as they have me. We're both so hurt and wounded. It's like two wounded birds who have found each other in all the chaos and death surrounding us and yet they still don't know how to heal each other's sorrows. But, they're trying to figure it out together..

"I want to go to the funerals." I comment softly, watching Stefan's thumb from the corner of my eye as it continues to wipe away my falling tears while I think about Luke and Rosie. Stefan pulls me closer as I exhale deeply, staring into his evergreen colored eyes that are full of hurt and sadness when I quietly question. "Do you think they suffered or do you think they just went to sleep and didn't open their eyes again?" My body shivers as I think about it and as a result I stammer out with tears covering my face and my voice breaking. "I just don't- I just hope that they didn't suffer because that's not what they deserved. Stefan, they didn't deserve this...They didn't deserve it." I'm sobbing so hard that my body is shaking as I yell out my words in an anguished tone.

I yell out the truth, my friends. Two people I cared so deeply for our gone for no reason and I can't bear to think about what my future will be like without them in it, knowing that they won't even get to see a new year or the lives they could have had.

Stefan's arms embrace me tightly as he kisses the side of my head and he hushes my cries while he sweeps back my hair again with his left hand and he kisses my forehead, speaking in a calming tone. "I want you to close your eyes and I want you to think about Rosie's smiling face and Luke's loving words to you."

"I can't. I can't- Stefan, please-." I'm begging him to not make me think of them as they were as he kisses my cheek and says. "Shhh, it's okay. Please, just do this for me. It'll help you."

Inhaling deeply and moving a little away from him. I do as Stefan says, holding on to the pictures I have in my mind of when I came to Luke after Stefan had saved me from being hit by the car as I stood so foolishly in the middle of the road. Closing my eyes tightly, I hear Stefan say in a low voice. "I want you to remember him smiling, full of laughter and love for his best friend. I want you to remember how much they both loved you and how much Rosie and Luke both wanted nothing but the best for you." Stefan breathes in deeply before he tells me. "You might have lost them both physically, Elena. But, you'll always remember Luke and Rosie in your mind. They didn't suffer and he wasn't alone when he died.I want you to know that. I didn't allow anyone to leave them. I had Damon stay with Luke and when I put you on that ambulance, I stayed with Rosie until her husband came to the scene. You know," Pausing Stefan moves my hair away from my moistened eyes when he adds in. "Luke had me promise him that I'd never leave you, that I'd take care of you." Licking his lips and locking his eyes on to me, Stefan finishes with "And I vow that I'll keep my word and a lot more than that,"

Nodding, I place both of my hands on to his cheeks as he continues to speak. Both of us have tears flowing down our faces, escaping into our mouths as Stefan kisses my lips delicately and then he backs away as he places his finger on to my lips when he concludes with. " I promise that I will fight for you and when I say I'm committed, you won't have to worry about whether or not I mean it. Because I want you to know that I will always love you, my sweet, beautiful girl."

I'm crying against him, burying my face into the curve on his neck while molding my body against his in a form of comfort as I whisper into his ear. "You're everything my life was missing and now that I found you. Stefan, one day when the time comes. I'll be yours and you'll be mine, forever. I want to be happy and the only way I know how to do that is whenever I'm with you."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

"Maybe it was Makayla and her stupid dad who set the fire." I comment, rolling into Tyler on our queen sized bed as I crumple up a few of the pictures from the crime scene that Jeremy and Lexi gave me access to. They told me that if anyone found out that I had them that they could be under hot water for it. But, I promised Tyler to not tell anyone and since Lexi said that it would be a good learning experience for me since I am going to be a real cop one of these days. I took the chance and brought the pictures and a few pieces of evidence home with me after I swung by the hospital and talked to Damon and Stefan for a bit, checking up on Bonnie and Elena.

"It's late, Caroline and you've been staring at these same pictures for the last three hours. Baby girl, you're becoming obsessed." He tells me, adding in that I shouldn't even have any of these pieces of information since it's still an on going investigation and that it was stupid for Lexi to jeopardize her job like that for me.

"I know. But, she's my training officer. Well, she will be once I finish everything I need to do for the evaluations and pass the physical exam. Also, something just doesn't add up here. Tyler, Rosie Martin didn't have any enemies. Neither did Luke Slater. Luke was loved by everybody. And, all the locals that knew about Rosie's diner never said anything bad about it. She didn't owe anyone money, she opened up the place with her husband when she was as young as Elena and I. Look, whoever did this, they burnt everything to the ground on purpose and took Luke and Rosie's lives without a care in the world. A person's life clearly don't matter to them." I tell him, frustration filling my body as I think about the senseless deaths of two of my best friend's close friends. "It isn't fair and someone needs to fight for them. Tyler, please. Elena won't stop, their families won't stop until they get answers and justice. We need to piece this thing together with the police departments help and the fire invegators."

He purses his lips together, wiping away the corners of his mouth as he looks at me and says. "They were hiding their tracks and fingerprints. It could have been just as the police report says, Caroline. It could have just been two stupid robbers creating a robbery gone wrong and nothing more. Sweetie, I think you're over thinking this." He grinds his teeth together, tugging the paper out from my hands as he leans over me, straddling my back. I can feel his lips kissing my bare shoulder, his calloused finger sliding off my tank top strap. Tyler leaves a kiss against my hot skin, trying his best to take my mind off of this and distract me from it. The room's hot as I close my eyes and I hear him tell me that we'll find our answers later on. "I'll help you, I promise that I will. But, Caroline this could take months, a year or two even."

I turn my body towards him, watching as he places both of his hands against my sides, staring down at me as my head layers on top of the stack of papers that I was looking over. " I know. But, I'm not giving up. Even if it takes a year or longer, I don't care. Rosie and Luke deserve justice and that is what they're going to receive." He smiles at me, brushing a strand of my curly hair back behind my ear as he questions in a loving tone. "How did I get so lucky to have such a brave and beautiful wife who doesn't give up on anything she sets her mind on and stands up for everyone she can?"

Smiling at him and locking my eyes on to his, I touch his cheek, rubbing the smudges of dirt from his face as I shrug my shoulders back and comment with a laugh. "You were the jock in high school and I was your cheerleader. I was always rooting for people. Especially you. Seems like nothing's really changed since then. Well, except for you being a jerk. You've improved a lot since then." Laughing, he leans down and kisses me softly, backing away Tyler locks his eyes on to mine when he states with a serious facial expression. "I don't want to wait anymore. Caroline, I love you and I want to make you happy. So, how about we start working on that family you've always wanted?"

Pulling him down against me. The tips of our noses our touching, I can see the brown irises of his eyes dilate as he smirks a little when I smile at him and giggle out. "Seriously?"

I kiss Tyler's mouth sweetly before finishing my thoughts when he excitedly interrupts me by saying in a loving tone. "Yes, Caroline. Seriously."

* * *

**A/N: Reviews are always appreciated!**

**Just a quick reminder: Chapter 30 will have a 1 YEAR TIME JUMP and it will be Christmas time in the start of the chapter. Not to mention that I will be covering some missing gaps with flashbacks. :)**

**Thanks so much for reading and follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	30. Chapter Thirty: A Long Engagement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. All Human. PART ONE of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless rookie firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon.)

**A/N: Hey all! Thank you guys so much for sticking with this story and leaving me such lovely reviews. It makes me so happy that you all like it. Well, with that being said. Here is CH.30! As I had said before, this chapter starts off the 1 YEAR TIME JUMP and we'll be staying at this time frame for a while. Also, in the next few chapters we will be finding out who set the diner fire and with that we'll be meeting two new very important key characters that will come into Stefan and Elena's life and that will over time turn their whole world upside down.  
**

**Follow me on twitter at: BePassionate_24**

**Thanks so much for reading!**

* * *

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty**

_**One Year Later...** _

_**-** _ **Caroline-**

"So?" Tapping my feet nervously against the floor doesn't even make my newly appointed OBGYN flinch as she looks up at me and then to my chart.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Lockwood. You're not pregnant." Hearing her confirming my worst fears makes my stomach feel uneasy and I want to vomit. But, I stop myself from doing so and instead, I take a few deep breathes. Inhaling, exhaling. Opening my eyes back up and leaning forward as she watches me cover my thighs up with the hospital gown and I stammer out. "But, we've been doing everything possible. Having sex on a schedule, eating healthier, working out. Not in the bedroom, I mean actually working out with our friends at the gym. Come on, what else is there?"

"Fertility problems." Laying her pen down near the sink, she stares at me blankly and then she purses her lips together as if I didn't consider this as a problem when she says. "Some women just have a hard time getting pregnant on their own and until nature takes it's course. It'll just be that way, you can't force something that needs to happen naturally."

"Listen," Exhaling deeply, I run my fingers over my hair before I continue speaking. "Doctor Timons, my husband and I have been trying to get pregnant for months now. He used to think that he was the problem. You know, his little swimmers weren't working or something. How am I supposed to go home and tell him that It's not him. That it's me. I'm the fucking problem?" My eyebrows lift as I close my eyes and inhale sharply before looking back at my OBGYN who looks as shocked as I am by my choice of words.

Flipping through my chart, she swallows before speaking to me directly, even leaning over and placing her hand on top of mine before she says. "Mrs. Lockwood, I see this sort of thing a lot these days. All you can do is keep trying until you and your husband have succeeded or we can start you out on pills, IVF treatments..." Her voice dies down as my blue eyes grow widely and I stare at her for a little too long, scoffing. "IVF treatments? The medications alone cost around 3,000-5,000 dollars. The treatment is around 12,000. That's money that my husband and I don't have. He's a firefighter that get's paid shit for money as he risks his life way more than he should! I just graduated from the police academy two weeks ago and I'm looking for a job, trying to get in as a paid intern first. We don't have that kind of money right now."

I can hear her breath out a deep staggered breath before she moves away from me and shrugs her shoulders back. "Well then, I suggest you both wait for a baby then. Wait until you save up and then try. Babies are expensive, you know."

I'm angry, shaking from the anger so much so that when I get up and grab my jacket and purse. I'm pretty certain that she can see the crease lines in my forehead and my beat red cheeks as I mumble under my breath for her to go to hell!

"So, I guess I'll be seeing you again in a few months?" She asks right as I make it towards the door of her office, turning towards her and glaring when I state. "Actually, you won't be. I want a second opinion and I'm sure as hell not coming back here for one."

* * *

"How'd it go today?" Tyler asks, making his way into the living room with a cup of tea as I curl up into the couch and hope it absorbs all my anger I'm still feeling. It's been hours since I saw the doctor and I haven't spoken to him about it. Part of me thinks that I shouldn't even bring it up. But, he won't stop asking me.

"She said that I'm the problem. That I' m the one preventing us from giving my mom the grandchild she wants, making you a dad..You know, all the things we want right now. But, can't have because are too expensive and my eggs are screwed up and-." I'm crying by the end of my rambling motor mouth that when I look up at Tyler, my eyes are too blurry to even notice what he's got in his hands.

"Caroline, we'll figure it out. These things take time and we can just keep trying. Besides, that woman is an idiot and I'm pretty sure that neither of us are the problem. We just, need to keep trying." He states with a small smile, taking my hand into his as I wipe my eyes with the back of my right hand and finally notice that he's got an envelop in his hands.

"What's that?" I ask him as he smiles sweetly at me, kissing my cheek and telling me to calm down before I open it.

"A little something in the mail came for you today. A job offer." He smirks, watching me grab at the envelop as he laughs. "Hold on tiger, let's open it together."

Calming myself the best that I can with a deep breath, I nod. "Okay, let's open it."

Tyler smiles at me, looking me over from the corner of his eye. "You sure about this?"

Nodding and laughing as I wipe away the last few remaining tears on my cheeks I say. "Of course I am. Now, come on!"

"Alright."He says with a beaming smile, handing me the envelop as I open it with shaking hands and read out loud the first few words. " _Dear Mrs. Lockwood, It is with great pleasure that we are pleased to confirm that you have been selected to work for the New York City Police Department as..."_ I swear that my hands are shaking even more as I look over at Tyler and hand the rest of it over to him, allowing him to finish reading what it says.

"You'll be interning with them for a few months up to one year until you pretty much prove yourself and then they'll probably move you to a department that's downtown or a smaller one closer to home." He tells me with a knowing tone, leaning into me and kissing the side my face as he smiles and says. "Congratulations baby. I knew you could do it." Taking my hands into his and forcing me to focus in on him, Tyler cups his hand over my cheek as he adds in. "Everything else with come in time, Caroline. We'll have a beautiful baby one day too. You just can't give up hoping that it'll happen." Kissing my lips, he backs away before adding on. "And, we can just keep on trying. That's the fun in it all anyways."

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"You can't just run after me to apologize! That's not how this works. I'm supposed to be mad at you...your cute face, your stupid uncoordinated aim as you said. 'Hey, Elena watch this. I can totally hit that target behind you!"" She mumbles under her breath as I turn her around and place my hand against her wrist, pulling her back against my chest. "What's wrong?"

Elena shrugs her shoulder's back, the ice from the snow crunching underneath her boots while she exhales out a foggy mist surrounds her face, the freezing cold temperatures make my fingers tingly and her nose red. "You hit me in the face with a snowball. And, instead of making it better, you laughed at me!"

Smiling at her, I lean in to kiss the tip of her nose. "Is that better?"

Shaking her head, Elena smiles through her angry facial expression. "No."

Frowning with my lips pursed together, I kiss her cold to the touch feeling cheeks. "Is this better?" Giggling she shakes her head again. "No. But, you're getting warmer."

"Well, I'm going to need to really step up my game, aren't I?" With her brown eyes shinning at me, Elena places her hands on to my face and sternly says while still laughing. "Yeah, sadly."

"Fine then." Whispering out my words, my hot breath washes over her face as my lips kiss her neck, traveling up towards her mouth and stopping just inches away from her lips. Before I kiss her, I brush my tongue across her lip, feeling her open her mouth slightly as my tongue traces the inside of her mouth and I'm kissing her like I need her as my life source, slowly, gently rubbing my thumbs over her cheeks when I hear her moan out my name as she backs away.

"I love you." She breathes out, lifting up her arms up into the air and tilting her head back, I watch Elena's brown long hair brush against the middle of her back. "I love you!" She screams out into the empty park, the falling snow all around us, her voice echoing.

We're in the middle of a deserted park, the lake is frozen over as she looks out at it and smirks a little, turning her back to me. "I love you, Stefan Salvatore. There's no doubt in my mind that you don't love me as much as I love you. Not anymore." She giggles playfully like a small child, smacking my shoulder with her hand when she adds. "Not after last night."

"Good to know. That's why I think you and I should get married." Clearing my throat, I shrug my shoulders back when I state. "Marry me, Elena." She turns around slowly, her teeth tugging on her dark brown colored gloves. Elena drops her hand to her side. "What did you just say?"

"I swear that you just said-." Taking a few steps towards her, Elena watches me place my hands on to her cold feeling face again, rubbing my thumbs across her skin. "I said, marry me. Elena Gilbert. Marry me so that I can make you happy for the rest of your life. So that we can be together forever."

"No." Her tone is flat and her lips pursed. She's serious as she backs away from me and shakes her head, waving her hands in front of her. "Oh, no."

"What?" I spit out my words as Elena shrugs her shoulders back, laughing a little.

"I said no. I love you. I do. But-." Kissing her lips softly, I stop her explanation from spewing out of her mouth. I can feel her body relax into me as she breaks apart from me, exhaling deeply and catching her heaving breath. "I was expecting that you wouldn't be here. But, you still are and that's a pretty big accomplishment alone for me. Marriage though, that is a whole other ball game that I am not ready for yet."

Brushing a strand of her hair back and smiling widely, I nod. "Of course I am. Elena, I kept my promise to you."

"I know." She whispers, slipping her hand into mine as we start walking back towards the sidewalk and back to the apartment. It's freezing out and the ice cold wind is flowing against our faces as we brace the cold and she tightens her grasp around my hand. "I want to marry you. But, just not right now. I'm not ready for all of that stuff. The commitment, being someone's wife, kids. Hell, I can barely take care of myself. How do you expect me to take care of our children, one day. If we end up having them?"

"You're doing a pretty good job at it, you know." She frowns as I comment, looking over at her and stopping us from walking all the way to the door of the apartment lobby.

"At what?" Elena questions as I pull her against me, whispering softly into her ear.

"Convincing yourself that you don't deserve to be happy with me. Trying to stop me from asking you again. Elena, it's not going to happen. Alright? I love you and one of these days, weather you like it or not. I am going to make you Mrs. Elena Salvatore." Kissing the side of her head, I pull her close against me while I hear her comment quietly. "We should move in together."

We're standing just outside of the apartment building when she says it as I point up to our floor and smirk. "We're already doing that." Shaking her head, Elena places her hands into her pockets and begins rocking back and forth nervously on the soles of her boots. "I didn't mean the apartment, I thought maybe we could look at buying a house together."

Coughing out a breath, I'm a little stunned at her words as I smile at her, squinting my eyes a little in disbelief. "Really?"

"Yeah, I love you and even though I might not want to marry you right now. Stefan, I want to be with you. I want to wake up next to you, I want to you to come home from a long day and for us to have dinner together by the fireplace in our living room. Eventually when we get there. I want our kids to play outside and have a place to call home. And," Inhaling before she speaks with a loving tone, Elena grabs my hands and squeezes my fingers tightly when she adds in. "I want to leave the porch light on for you, every night you're away so that you know where to come home to if you're ever lost."

I laugh at her a little, leaning in to kiss her lips while I comment with a chuckle. "In case I'd ever get lost? Sweetheart, wherever you are, that is where my home is. My home is with you."

Elena smiles just a little, glancing down at her snow covered boots as she looks back up at me and grins. "Aren't you cute?" She states, pivoting away from me and heading back up to the apartment lobby as she shouts over her shoulder. "Last person inside is going to be locked out. Hurry up, rookie. I'd hate for you to be left out in this freezing cold." She winks in a teasing tone as she speaks to me, kissing my lips and pushing off my chest before disappearing into the lobby and running towards the elevators.

* * *

We're both freezing as I start the fire going in the fireplace and I notice that she's got a box of ornaments in her lap, picking through them, Elena smiles to herself as she runs her fingers over one. "My dad loved Christmas time. He said it was the only time of year where the whole family could get together without bitching at each other and just enjoy each other's company." Smiling widely, I wipe my dirty hands off my jeans and sit next to her, placing my hands into the box too and looking over all the little decorative ornaments that she had gotten from her mom and some that Damon had saved from our parents.

"My parents loved it too. They said it was the only time of year where Damon and I actually got along. I think they were lying though. Because, my brother and I always kind of have gotten along. Speaking of which, Bonnie and Damon, Caroline and Tyler are all going to be hosting a Christmas day dinner and they invited us. Personally, I think it's just an excuse for my brother to show off their new house." I can feel Elena lean her head against my shoulder, watching her eyes glance towards the fire as she exhales deeply and stays quiet for a little too long.

"I know how hard this time of year is for you. It's hard for me too." I comment softly, taking her hand that isn't placed against the box and kissing the top of it as she sighs out a breath, turning to me. "I just thought that things would be different, that Luke and Rosie would be here. But, they're not and..." Her voice trailing off and getting stuck in her throat makes me tell her to put the box down and when she does, my arms wrap around her as she starts to cry against my chest.

"Sh.." Kissing the top of her head, I speak into her rose shampoo smelling hair. "It's okay to miss them, honey. I know you do. It's okay to miss your parents too. You know, your mom-." Cutting me off she wipes away her tears and sniffles up at me, the fire I made is heard crackling in the distance as Elena looks over at it and then back to me. "My mom is a lousy excuse for a mother. She was never around when I needed her and that terrifies me, Stefan. What if I'm not a good mom when we have kids? What if I abandon them just like she did to me and Jeremy. What if-." My lips being placed gently on to hers stop her from saying anything as my body leans her down against the couch cushions and my cool feeling hand caresses her ice cold cheeks.

"You are going to be an amazing mother when that time comes. Elena, you aren't her and I know that you'd never abandon our children. You're not that type of person. You are not, Miranda." I tell her sincerely as she blinks her eyelashes at me rapidly and yawns out a breath as I kiss her cheek and then lift her body back up with mine. Her hands are in my lap as her head rests against my chest and I lean back into the arm rest, my arms wrapped around her still in a protective way. One of my hands is lazily playing with strands of her hair as I speak. "That's what this is all about, isn't it? You're afraid to marry me because you think that when we have kids that you'll be a bad mom to them. Just like your mom was to you."

Shrugging her shoulders back, I see her eyes lock on to the fire again as I hold her tightly against me and she nods. "I won't allow it. Sweetheart," Pausing, I lift her face up to meet my eyes as my finger slides underneath her chin and she glances up at me with tears streaming down her face.

"When we have kids. When we're ready to have them and start a family of our own. I'll be there for you. And if we screw up, we'll screw up together. That's the whole part of being a team. I love you, Elena and I know you're scared of committing yourself to me. But, just think about it. Think about how lucky you'll be." Laughing a little, I tilt my head to the side and in a cocky tone I reply with. "I'm a pretty good catch, so I've heard."

She laughs a little, sniffling and lifting up her head from my chest as she places her hand against it instead. "So, what do we do now?" She asks me, her eyes puffy and red from crying as I lean into her and kiss her lips before commenting quietly. "We decorate the tree and then we sit by the fire and warm the hell up because I'm freezing my ass off!"

* * *

**-Damon-**

"You're going to fall off that ladder, sprain your ankle." I hear her say as I turn around and try to keep my balance on the ladder I'm standing on that's leaning against the gutters and the house.

"No, I won't. Honey, I think you've forgotten who you're talking too. I'm a professional at this stuff." I comment with a sly tone, hearing her let out a loud laugh.

"Putting up Christmas lights? Damon, you're putting them up way later than anyone else in this neighborhood and this is the first time you've ever done it. Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Bonnie points out, making me feel kind of stupid for even suggesting the whole idea. Our Christmas party is tomorrow and she is right, everyone has their lights up already. Everyone, except for us.

"Well, we've been busy moving into the house, christening it, you know, all the things soon to be married couples do when they move into a new place together." I reply back, finally making it up to the roof and brushing the snow off of my gloves. It's got to be below freezing already and here I am, the night before our dinner putting up these lights like some idiot because I want to impress our friends.

"It's Christmas eve, honey. Get down from there and forget about it. Maybe next year we'll start earlier." She winks, pleading with me to come back down already because she has a surprise waiting for me and I can see the terrified look on her face as she watches me stand up on the roof, slipping a little while I move across it.

"I won't come down from the roof unless you tell me what the hell you've got planned once I get back inside that house." I comment loudly as she puffs out a breath, shaking her head. Bonnie glances up at me, placing her hand on top of her head so that her gray colored beanie doesn't fall off it while she glances upward. "Me, in a very sexy little Victoria Secret outfit that you'll die for." She elaborates as I lick my chapped lips and smile like a fool. "Really?" She hears me ask a little too eagerly.

Bonnie shrugs her shoulders, still grinning at me. "I guess you'll have to wait and see. You've got five minutes to get your ass down here and inside of our bedroom. I'll be waiting, maybe with clothes on. Maybe not. Depends on how quickly you can get down here from the roof." She taunts, giggling to herself as I hear the snow crunching underneath her feet while she saunters off back inside of the house and I wonder how quickly it'll take me to get down from here without breaking a limb.

* * *

"Oh, Damon." Bonnie's cheerful voice echos throughout the barely covered walls of our still slightly unfurnished and undecorated house as I walk through the hallway and towards our bedroom. I can see her leg extended out as she does the same with her arm. The moment I look down to notice a trail of her clothes scattered all over the floor, my heart races and I start taking off my boots and sweater as well, discarding it as fast as Bonnie probably did her clothes too.

"Bon. Where are you!" I shout out, making my way into the bedroom while I catch the scent of lavender scented candles and low music coming from our bathroom. "Hi honey." She comments, crossing her legs over one another and smirking at me.

Bonnie's lips purse together as she stands up, readjusting her pink silk feeling robe around her waistline. I watch her push herself up from the bed before she stands in front of me, licking her lips. "Hi." My hands reach out to pull her against me. But, she turns away briskly and giggles. "Ah, not yet." Bonnie taunts, nearly causing me to let out a whimpered noise at her teasing me so much because I am dying to touch her.

"Why not?" I hear myself ask out loud while pouting, watching as she turns her head towards me and smirks a little, shrugging off the fabric from one of her shoulders and winking at me. My hand reaches out to caress her skin as Bonnie leans her head back upon my shoulder, placing her palm on to my cheek. "Because, I want to enjoy this moment with you. We almost lost each other last year, Damon." Swallowing the lump in my throat, my arms gently turn her in my embrace so that she's facing me and we're eye to eye. Bonnie's eyes close as my thumbs rub off a smudge of her makeup and I hold her face into the palm of my hands. "I know. But, we're here now. You and me. You're alive and you're better. Everything's okay." I comment, hearing her lungs expand as she draws in a breath and she nods.

"I know." Bonnie smiles through tears that are glistening over her beautiful green eyes and just as she goes to open her mouth to say more, my lips against hers stop her from talking and I kiss her with all the longing and affection that I have for the woman standing in front of me. Backing away a little, allowing her to catch her breath Bonnie smacks her lips together and with a small smile making it's way across her mouth. She holds my face into her hands as she says. "I know it's early. But, I got you something."

She backs away from me, fixing the shoulder of her robe as I frown a little. I thought she was my early Christmas present, if you know what I mean. But, I guess I was wrong as she stands in front of me with a small little box in her hands, extending it out to me, Bonnie smiles as she says. "It's only part one of your gift. Part two will come later." She winks, watching as I take the white gift box into my hands and begin opening it.

"What is it?" Bonnie hears me ask, taking a seat on the bed as she grins widely. "Just keep opening it, Damon."

Encouraging me to open it, she watches as I toss out the tissue paper and stare down at the gift in my steady hands. "A picture frame and a tie?"

Laughing, she nods her head. "Look a little closer at the picture. Remember where it was taken?"

I sign out a breath. "Yeah, it's the firehouse, during the charity event. Before I asked you to marry me and when my brother wasn't even sure how he felt about Elena. Bonnie," I pause, stepping in front of her and bending down as I place the frame into her lap and she holds it too. "I made one of these for all the guys. I figured that it could be a tradition. Every year when we're all together we should take a picture in front of the station to show our kids one day and to see how much we've all changed. I know how much you love your brothers, Damon. I know how much they mean to you. I love them too."

"Thank you." I comment, placing my hand on to her knee and stealing a kiss as we both stare down at the red colored tie in my hands. "What's the tie for?"

Laughing and leaning her head back, Bonnie grins at me as she places her finger against the tip of my nose and taps it for a second. "Christmas dinner with my parents after we celebrate tomorrow with our friends. My mom invited us over this weekend. She said that we haven't been to their house in too long and that since you and I will be getting married in a few months that it's time we start making that a tradition too."

"Great." I comment softly, placing the frame and tie down on to the floor. Bonnie watches with a lust filled glance as I hover over her, brushing my cool feeling hands upon her skin and watching as she lays her head down and blinks at me with a beaming smile.

"You know what else should be our holiday tradition?" I ask her, noticing that she's got her elbows lifting her up just a little from the bed when she smiles and asks. "What?"

"This." Growling out the word and hearing her laugh while I pull her back to me, Bonnie places her hand onto my chest and shakes her head with a loving smile. "What the hell as gotten into you?"

I'm smiling like an idiot as she wraps her bare legs around me and I lean down against her, capturing her lips once more into a rough and needy kiss. "I'm just in love, Bonnie. There's not really a cure for it." Hearing her laugh makes me smile even more as I hover over her again, moving a strand of her hair away from her face while I touch her cheek and look down at her. "I love you so much my lovely honey-bun."

She's smiling just as widely as I am as she places her hand on to my cheek and kisses me before replying with a laugh. "You're getting better with these words of endearment thing. But, you're still kind of rusty at it. Honey-bun, really Damon?"

"Yeah, my honey-bun." I reply back to her, kissing her slowly as we both laugh at my words and I continue taking off her robe.

* * *

**-Elena-**

"Where do you see yourself six years from now?" The question comes out of nowhere as Stefan covers up my shivering body while we lay on the floor next to each other with pillows underneath our heads. Turning towards him, I'm smiling as I think about it, picking at the snagged fabric on the pillow case and not really looking at him as I speak. "I don't know. Married to you, maybe with kids and dog. Who knows. I was a waitress before you met me, Stefan. I kind of feel like maybe I should look for another job too now that the diner's not around anymore. Maybe I can work with Caroline or something. Not as a cop. But, at the police station..." My voice trails off as he props himself up with his elbow and kisses the tip of my nose while laying down on to the ground and looking up at the ceiling.

"You want to know where I see us in six years? Where I see myself." I hear him state as he places his hand on to my stomach and starts talking. "I see us married too. I see myself working up the ranks at the firehouse and coming home to you and our kids. Listen," He pauses, rolling over on to his side as he grasps a hold of my hand and tightens his grip against my fingers. "Elena, I think we need to find a house too. I don't want it to be too far from the fire station and I don't think that it should be too far from our friends. But, I like the idea of it. Coming home to you and our family."

I get up too fast when he admits it, my head feels a little dizzy as I place my hand over my face and rub the dizzy feeling away. "Really?" The question comes out of my mouth in too much of a surprised tone as Stefan laughs and then he nods. "Yeah. It's time for us to make this thing official. I love you and I think finding a house together would be a great idea. So, we should have Bonnie and my brother help us out. We can talk about it with them more tomorrow at the Christmas dinner thing."

Nodding, I lean into him, kissing him sweetly and then backing away. "Okay." I comment, turning my head to look over at the tree as Stefan unexpectedly pulls me into his embrace and holds me against his chest, muttering under his breath at how cold my arms and feet feel.

Turning my head towards him and readjusting the blanket that we're tangled up in, I tilt my head to the side and with a suggestive tone I lean into his ear and whisper playfully. "Well, you should do something about that now, rookie. Shouldn't you?"

Laughing as he comes closer and pins me down on to the ground, I can't seem to keep my composure while feeling his leg rub up and down my calf while he says. "I totally should do something about that, even though I'm technically not a rookie anymore. I'm sure I can help you out still..How's that feel?" He asks, watching me fidget underneath him while still laughing, Stefan caresses my overly heated cheeks, kisses my lips and then stares at me again. I can feel his hand move underneath the covers some more, lifting up my plaid button up shirt of his that I put on after I got out of the shower to try and warm myself up.

"A little better." Teasingly I whisper the words in a breathy tone against his ear as I feel his hands caress the side of my stomach and then he disappears underneath the covers. For a split second all I can feel his the warmth of his breath upon my skin and then I feel his warm and moist lips kissing my body, his hands lifting up his shirt as I close my eyes and whimper out in an uneven breath. "Is this necessary?"

Stefan pops his head back out, frowning at me as he straddles my hips and smirks to himself. "You said you were cold. I'm just heating you up. Helping you out." He winks.

"Are you sure you aren't just doing this to convince me to say yes to your marriage proposal?" I ask him, gritting my teeth together as he leans down and scrapes his teeth against my skin, causing my upper body to lurch forward and my breath to barely escape out of my lungs.

"Nah. Not at all." Stefan smirks wickedly at me, lowering his head down once again and leaving kisses upon my exposed flesh, working his plaid shirt up towards my breasts.

"Yes, you are." I stammer out, trying to keep myself focused. But, I'm failing at it because all I can think about are his damn hands and the motion of his mouth, licking and nipping and kissing at every inch of my skin.

"Maybe a little." Stopping himself, he grins widely as he asks. "Why? Is it working?" Shaking my head and puffing out a breath, I lean my body back down and exhale deeply while running my fingers through his messy hair. "No yet. Keep going and I'll let you know."

He's got a grin so wide on his face that when I look at him I wonder how his cheeks don't hurt from smiling so much as he kisses my stomach again and whispers out. "Merry Christmas, baby."

* * *

**A/N: Up next: Damon meets Bonnie's family once again, Stefan and Elena search for their new home and Caroline has to deal with the ups and downs of her new job at the police station as she searches for answers to who set the blaze at the diner.**

**-Until Next Time!-**

 


	31. Chapter Thirty-One

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty-One**

**-Damon-**

"Are you sure about this, little brother?" I ask Stefan the next day, watching as he nods his head, looking out towards the frozen up river that's moving at turtle speed underneath the Queensboro Bridge. Stefan laughs a little, exhaling heavily. We went out on a jog before the evening festivities and because I needed some air. Although, I'm pretty sure that we're insane to jog in the snow. But, Stefan said that he needed some fresh air too when he called me and of course, I couldn't resist. He seems a million miles away, staring out at the lake and the city he loves. My brother leans his head back, adjusting the baseball cap on top of his head. "Of course I am. Damon, I've never been more sure of anything in my life. Just," He pauses, licking his bottom lip and placing his hand on the back of the bench that we're sitting on.

"Do you have it?" He demands, tilting his head to the side for more of an effect. I smile at him, slowly removing the small black box from my jacket and opening it to reveal the sparkling diamond ring, I hand it to him and lock my eyes on to his. "Have you thought about how you're going to get her to agree to go out with you in this weather? She'll freeze her ass off in a dress." Stefan notices me state down at the ring as he shrugs his shoulders, pushing upward from his seat and laughing a little while he looks back at me and adds in. "Oh, I've got a plan. It involves her brother and honestly, I don't remember the last time that any one of us have spoke with Jeremy. But, I'm going to call him up, see how things are going, ask him for a favor."

I'm shaking my head as Stefan tightens the scarf around his neck while I too follow his lead, dusting off the snow from my sweat pants and getting up. "You really haven't thought about how you're going to propose to Elena, have you?" He hears me ask, stopping his tracks. Stefan looks down at his white and red Nike running shoes. "I only got as far as getting a limousine to pick her up from...the apartment." He replies hesitantly as I lean into him, placing my hand on to his shoulder and disagreeing instantly.

"No. We're going to keep the limo and the idea of her being picked up somewhere. But, there needs to be a reason for her to be there and that's where Jeremy should come in. So, let me call her brother. We'll meet for coffee, talk details." I wink at him, pushing him out of the way playfully as he runs up behind me, smirking.

"Promise me, something." Stefan pauses, pulling me back for a minute as I hear the snow underneath my feet crunch.

"What now?" I ask him, watching as Stefan's playful demeanor turns into being serious when he adds in with a soft tone. "Damon, if anything ever happens to me. Anything at all and if one day Elena is left alone. I want you to promise me that you'll help her with things and help her deal with me not being there. Don't just abandon her." He states, forcing me to give him a perplexed look.

My voice is reassuring as I comment calmly. "Nothing is ever going to happen to you, stop talking all crazy. But, I promise you that I would help her." He hears me huff out a breath, staring back at him adding in with a smirk. "Why would you even think that anyway? You and Elena are going to be together forever. I know you will. You love her too much to just leave her."

* * *

"Little Gilbert, I'm going to need your help." Tapping my foot against the wooden flooring of our new house as Bonnie watches me standing near the sliding door, the snow picking up outside.

"Damon?" He asks my name in a questionable tone, probably shaking his head and thinking about how ridiculous it is that I'm calling him. We haven't really been in touch lately, not since the diner burnt down and his sister had to start seeing Tyler's mother to help her deal with the loss of both Luke and Rosie. Jeremy would drive Elena to the appointments when Stefan was busy working.

"Of course it is. Who else would it be?" I ask him, laughing a little as I feel Bonnie place her hand on to my shoulder. "We really need to get a move on. Caroline is expecting us to be at their house in a half hour and then my parents are thinking that we're going to be seeing them for dinner at 7:30 tonight." She comments as I nod, waving her off as she stares angrily at me.

"Listen, I know we're all meeting at Caroline's for an early Christmas dinner. But, I'm going to need you to make a little detour. Just for a little bit." Jeremy laughs loudly into the receiver, probably thinking that I'm insane.

"And, why in the hell would I want to do that?" He questions, sounding a little irritated at my request.

Licking my lips and squeezing my eyes shut, I exhale deeply. "Well, I still have a few minutes before Bonnie and I have to be someplace important and from the sound of it, you're not really doing anything at the moment. So, meet me at that coffee shop on 26th street, near the police station. I'll explain everything." I can hear him huff out a breath as he opens his mouth and tries to argue with me.

"Damon- I have a lot of shit to-." Cutting him off, I shake my head as my voice turns stern. "Listen, this is important too. I'm doing it for my brother and you'll know why in an hour or so. Just meet me there around 2 o'clock."

* * *

"Damon." Jeremy says my name as I slide into the seat across from him, watching Elena's kid brother clutching the coffee cup tightly in his left hand.

"How you been, man?" I ask him, watching as he looks past me and then back down at the warm, steaming cup of coffee.

"I've been better..." His voice trails off, swallowing down the lump in his throat as he clears it and adds on. "Our mother's gone off the deep end again. Her and our step dad are a mess and I haven't told Elena because I feel like I shouldn't worry her. But, I got called out to a domestic violence call last night and not so surprisingly, it was my mother and him...Fighting. We arrested him for hitting her. She's in pretty bad shape."

I grit my teeth back, shaking my head. Elena hasn't seen her mother of her brother in months. Jeremy showed up at the funerals. Unlike, Miranda who didn't even bother to call and check up on her after she buried her best friend and her old boss, Rosie who was like the mother Elena never had. They barely even talk anymore and as far as her brother goes, their relationship is starting to become strained because of it. "When's the last time you saw your sister? Talked to her on the phone?"

"It's been awhile." Is all that he stammers out, shamefully looking down at his hands as I look around the cafe and lean back into my seat, running my hand over my hair. We're both silent for a little while before he states. "Why did you call me here, Damon? To talk about my families dysfunction or to tell me something else. You did say it was important, after all."

Smiling, I shrug my shoulders back. "Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about some news. Good news." I clarify quickly as he gives me an interested look. "About what?"

"My brother wants to marry your sister, Jer. He wanted to talk to you before he asked her and well, he also wants you to pick Elena up from their apartment, act like your car stalled somewhere and have her come to pick you up. Once that happens and she gets to where you are, she'll realize it was all a lie when she see's that you're waiting with a limousine driver for her with a note from Stefan." I comment with a glistening in my eyes as Jeremy Gilbert laughs a little. "So, my question is will you help my little brother out with proposing to your sister?"

He nods, not missing a second of what I just said. Jeremy shrugs his shoulders back as he asks. "I don't know, Damon. Do you really want to be brother in laws once they're married?"

I'm smiling thinking about Stefan and Elena. How happy they'll be as an engaged couple, how happy they'll be as a married couple as the years go on. I can picture our lives..Five, ten years from now and all I can see is them together and in love as they now, maybe even more. I sigh deeply. "Well, Jer. To be honest, I couldn't picture anyone else being my brother in law. As long as you don't screw up this plan for Stefan. You and I will be golden, brother."

Jeremy nods in agreement with me. "I won't, Damon. I want her to be happy just as much as you do and if Stefan is what makes her the happiest. Then, I would never ruin that for her. I love her too much and she means the world to so many people."

* * *

**-Elena-**

"Stefan Salvatore! This isn't funny. What is going on? Leaving a note with my brother and then the limo driver drops me off here. Do you even know how cold it is out here?" I complain, feeling his skin brush against my bare ice cold hands as he rushes up to me and I look up at the sky, feeling the moistened snow falling upon my face.

"Remember how you said that you wanted a winter wonderland?" Stefan asks softly, placing a heavy jacket around my shoulders and turning me towards him as I notice that he's dressed up too. A pair of shiny black shoes and in a black suit, white button up shirt with a red tie, his hair a tousled mess.

"Yeah." My face scrunches up as he smiles at me and brushes a strand of hair out of my face while I feel a warm scarf being placed around my shoulders and then he hands me a pair of gloves. "Stay warm." He smiles sweetly, turning back towards the docks and making me realize our surroundings. The dock is covered in white snow, there's a set of matching candles, each with little covers on them so that the snow doesn't extinguish them too quickly and I can hear the water slowly moving past us. There's a tied up boat swaying in the water as I glance at it. It's too cold for sailing, the low temperatures have made the water nearly frozen over and new snow is starting to blanket everything in sight.

"So," I pause, licking my lips and tightening his jacket around me as I turn back to him and see him smiling widely while I speak. "You brought me out here..Using my brother as your wingman..now..what's the plan?" I ask him, watching as he shrugs his shoulders back, looking over the edge to the frozen water, a smirk forming on across his lips.

"I was thinking we could jump, you know, after I gave you this rambling speech about how much I love you. How much you've changed my life and how I could never picture my life without you. But, we'd catch hypothermia for sure. So, forget that idea." He says with a small chuckle, walking over to me slowly as he extends out his hands again. "I used to think that I'd never meet someone as amazing as you. But, then one day you came into my life and you stole my heart. And, to be honest Elena Gilbert. That's the moment I knew everything was going to change for me. The moment I knew that as hard as I tried that I just couldn't be without you." He stops, tilting his head to the side as the candles flicker around us, the warmth from Stefan's breath makes a foggy moisture escape past his lips when he adds on. "You've changed my life. Hell, you've changed me. Elena, I've been standing here for the last hour, trying to piece it all together about how much you mean to me, how great we are together and how I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side. But in reality, I've already known all of this for months." He says, his hands caressing mine as he looks up at my now watery eyes, nodding at him slowly.

"I love you too. Stefan, are you-?" I start to ask him, watching as he nods.

Stefan places his cold hands onto my equally cold cheeks and then he clears his throat to speak, grabbing my face into the palms of his hands when he locks his eyes on mine and his voice catches in his throat, tears filling his eyelids as he bends down on one knee and then he states, while I gasp out a breath.

"Please don't say no again. Because, I can't handle it. I love you, Elena. You are everything that my life has been missing and I want you to always be mine. So, what do you say my beautiful girl?" He clears his throat, ready to speak once more as I cut him off abruptly with a small laugh.

Taking my hands and placing them on to his cheeks, I nod my head. "Yes! Yes..A million times, yes! I want to marry you, Stefan!" I shout out as he smiles at me, a laugh escaping his throat when he says. "I haven't even asked you yet." I watch as he gets back up, his smile lingering when he wraps his arms around me and holds me against him as I feel my feet lift up from the ground and he twirls me around while he whispers. "But, I was really hoping that "yes" would be your answer."

* * *

Pulling me into the apartment, a few hours after being dropped off back home. I shrug off his jacket, my white high heels stepping on a rose petal as I glance around the room and notice that the living room is decorated with the same candles from out on the docks, the floor is covered with rose petals and there's a light sound of one of my favorite songs in the background. We should both be at Caroline's Christmas dinner. But, Stefan called her from the car and explained that we couldn't make it and that he'd explain later. My mind is scattered, a million little thoughts are racing through it. The extension of Stefan's hand in front of my face makes me come back to reality as a loving smile tugs at the corners of his lips when he says. "Dance with me."

"Now?" I ask him, readjusting my dress as he closes the door behind us and nods.

"Yeah, now." He comments, looking me over with a gleaming of his green eyes.

My engagement ring shines in the light, my eyes can't seem to rip themselves away from it as I place my hand into his and he spins me around the living room. He even managed to rearrange the furniture so that we could have more room as I look around while I feel him placing his arm around my waistline and pulling me tightly against his body. His grip is firm, as he stops for a moment while I loosen the tie around his neck with a smirk. The fire crackling behind us illuminates our faces, Stefan's hand lifts up and caresses my bare shoulder, slipping away the thin fabric of my dress, he pushes my hair back off of my shoulder and kisses it, working his way up towards my neck. His warm breath makes my stomach feel like it's fluttering, my fingers slipping away from the collar of his shirt as his hair brushes against my neck while he lifts his head up to stare into my darkened brown eyes.

"I want to love you forever, Elena. And, I promise you that I will, no matter what comes our way. I will love you and give you the life that you deserve. An amazing one." My eyes close, tears beginning to make an appearance in them as he whispers softly into the silence while his thumb wipes away my tears and he kisses my eyelids. "My beautiful girl, always." Stefan utters out, pulling me towards him, his hands caressing the back of my dress as he finds the zipper and agonizingly unzips it slowly. Stefan backs us away from the living room couch and we go stumbling towards the bedroom as my ears continue to hear the soulful voice of James Bay playing in the background and his lips never lose contact with mine. _"_ _I pull you close, you close your eyes...And we don't say a word..."_

I turn my back towards him as Stefan's hand gently lowers the other a strap from my dress, his lips kiss my shoulder again and he moves upward as kisses me again. I feel his hands lowing my dress until it drops to my feet and I feel the fabric fall into a heap on the floor. Stepping over it, my heart is racing, my hand lifts to caress his cheek as he kisses my wrist and whispers the last few words to the song into my heated ears. " _And I just wanna lay you down your burdens, all your fears...And I don't need your deepest secrets...Whisper in my ear..'Cause I can hear your heart..."_

We're chest to chest as I turn back to him and my hands fall down upon his shirt, unbuttoning the last few buttons that aren't open, my palm lays flatly against Stefan's chest as his eyes search mine and he leans forward again, capturing my moistened lips against his own. We stumble backwards to the bed when he hungrily kisses me. His hands roaming across my body until they stop to linger firmly on my hips, he rests them there for a while. Lowering myself down against the mattress and the cool feeling sheets. My heart is racing, my palms sweating. It's not as if this is the first time that we've slept together. But, the rush of this feels different, more intimate and meaningful, something I want to remember for as long as I live.

My mind clears for a minute, I can hear my heart beating inside of my ears. But, I don't care as I pull him down with me. My hand slides against his bare chest, my finger latching against his pants while Stefan hovers over my body and breaks away for a minute to catch his breath. "You're going to be my wife." He laughs with a proud smirk, pushing back a strand of my hair as my eyes shine in the dim light and I nod. I can't stop smiling myself while thinking about it. Taking a deep breath, rolling us over and laying on top of him. I can feel Stefan's right hand stroking the heated flesh of my back as he watches my face blush and I smile sweetly at him, reminding myself how good it feels to be this close to him, reminding myself that soon enough, this will be our forever.

"And, you're going to be my husband. Mr. Salvatore" I giggle out, not really believing my own words or the true meaning of it. We're finally engaged. Nothing can come in between us now and I never want anything to change this feeling I have for him. He's my best friend, he knows everything there is to know about me and I've never met anyone like him until we crossed paths. "How lucky am I?" I ask as he leans forward and kisses the tip of my nose, our legs intertwined with each others. Stefan smiles up at me as his thumb strokes my cheek and he watches my head lean into his palm, kissing his wrist as he had done to me before in the living room. "Pretty lucky." He states in a cocky tone, deepening the kiss between us and rolling us over again so that his finger latches underneath my bra strap. I feel his touch slip away, and the strap does with it too as Stefan kisses my collar bone and he hears me exhale deeply, rubbing my leg against his while he moves up and down my neck with his mouth, licking and nipping at my skin which sets it all on fire.

"Elena," He says into my ear with an urgent tone as his breath tickles my ear. He wants me and I can tell that this slow pace is killing him. On purpose and in a playful manner, Stefan exhales out a moaning sound when my body arches forward. I feel his arm slip behind my back, his hand caressing it and unclasping my bra with his rough and calloused fingertips, my skin crawls with desire. He presses his lips against mine to silence my moans as his rough tough grips me tightly. The firm feeling of his succulent tasting mouth pressed against my mind reeling. His kisses turn more frantic by the second as the pace between us builds to an intolerable level of desire and want. His warm and needy hands roam down my back gently and he pulls me even closer to him and licks my skin. My bare breasts are pressed against his chest, his shirt somewhere discarded by the bed long ago. He smiles against my skin a little when one of my legs latches against his own and he lowers me down into the mattress even more. I caress his cheek, staring up into his bright green eyes, not saying a word until I'm able to form a sentence again.

"I never want to forget this moment. To forget this day, the one where I gave my whole heart to you." My words echo into the room in a breathless tone, his eyes staring back at me as if I'm the most delicate and beautiful thing he's ever laid his loving eyes on. Stefan leans down and kisses the tip of my nose, lifting his head, he smiles. I can feel his fingers ghost over my skin, the light touch drives me lusting after him, a pleading moan leaves my lips and when I steady my fingers while finding the zipper to his dress pants, I swear that I can feel his body trembling. I slowly begin to unzip them, running my fingers gently over his groin. Stefan suddenly rolls us back over so that I'm pinned underneath him again, a playful smirk rests across his lips as he hoarsely speaks in a raspy tone. "We forget the champagne and the ice."

My eyebrows lift as he kisses my forehead and jumps up quickly, the condom near the bedside stares back at me as I swallow the anticipation in my throat. "We should...use it. I'm on the pill too. But, you know..." My voice trails off as I watch him turn back to me, taking in my words. "Don't worry about it, sweetheart. I don't want us to have any surprises either. Not right now at least."

"Ice and champagne?" He hears me question out of nowhere as my bare legs run together in between the sheets and I lay my head back into the pillows, closing my eyes. It takes him a few minutes to answer my question and when he does, it's without any words. His actions tell me everything that I had wanted to know.

Stefan's mischievous smile gives him away as he takes a sip of the sparkling champagne in the crystal glass and then sets it down, hovering over me as his legs rest in between mine and he spread my legs a little by pressing his knee in to the mattress. "It's not what you think." He admits and before I can even say a word, Stefan's mouth presses up against my stomach muscles, which make me go crazy. I'm unsettled, driven crazy by the ice cube in between his teeth as his other hand pins my wrists above my head and he roughly tells me to keep them there while his mouth travels up and down my stomach with the ice cube in between his teeth. My abdominal muscles tighten, my heart rate picks up and I swear that in the moment, I'm pleading for him to keep going and to stop all at the same time. He's killing me!

I feel the cold ice being removed from my body as he replaces it with his hot and wet tongue, soaking up the moisture from where the dripping cold ice cube had once been, as I heard it drop back into a bowl near the bed. "You okay?" Stefan asks, adjusting himself against my shivering body as he finally lets go of my hands and I exhale deeply, thankful I can catch my breath for the moment.

"I'm fine." The way my voice cracks, we both know that I'm lying to him. That made me just want him even more as he once against lightly brushes his bottom lip against mine and he laughs when I reach out towards his hips, grabbing at his pants to tug them down.

"You're lying." Stefan comments with a grin and in a rough tone, lifting his head up from my stomach as he places his hands on top of mine and helps me glide his pants off of his lower body, leaving him in his black boxers. He's proudly smiling down at me as he looks me over with a tense gaze, lowering his head down once more in between my breasts as he leaves a kiss right in between them, still clutching my hands so that I can't tug down his boxers just yet.

Stammering out a breath, I close my eyes and arch my body forward, whimpering a little when I feel him straddle my hips and he rolls his pelvis towards mine. I can feel my breathing hitch, he's tormenting me. Licking his lips, Stefan releasing one of my hands as he cups my face and leans down towards it as he states with an underlined tone of pure lust and desire. "I want to take this very slowly, sweetheart. So, that's what we're going to do. I'm going to make sure that I kiss every inch of you, indulgence myself in you, taste every part of your skin..." He leans down against my ear as he whispers with a raspy tone. "I want to be all over you."

I giggle out a little as he brushes his bottom lip upon my inner thigh, my free hand begins grabbing and twisting the sheets that I'm laying under and my other hand intertwines with his above my head. "Close your eyes, sweetheart. This is just the beginning." He tells me. Stefan kisses my inner thigh, his fingers caressing the outside of my hip as my eyes flutter closed and in that moment, I feel myself falling under his spell. A spell so blissful and enticing that within minutes I've gotten my own name. All I can focus on are his hands all over me as I release she sheet, slipping my hand in between the skin of his hip bone and his boxers.

"Ah," Stefan pulls my hand away, now clasping both of my hands together with his above my head as he leans into me and stares into my eyes before kissing my lips with a heated passion. "Not yet, love."

Stefan scraps his teeth against my overly heated skin, holding my hands tightly with his own and working his way from my arms all the way down to my collar bone. The more I try to catch my breath and calm myself, I seem to be failing. He smirks against my skin as I whisper out in a begging tone of sheer sweet agony. "I want to feel every touch of your hands, your lips against my body, every kiss from your mouth. I want to relish in it. I want every second of you against me, every taste of you, nothing separating us...Absolutely, nothing."

Stefan lifts his head, watching me bite my lower lip as his hand glides across the elastic of my panties. "For hours, I promise." Stefan states with a reassuring tone, just as I feel his teeth tugging down my underwear and I begin to feel myself losing control...

* * *

**A/N: To be continued... ;)**

**-Until Next Time!-**


	32. Chapter Thirty-Two

**Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty-Two **

**-Elena-**

If I could stay here, in this blissful state of euphoria with him, worshiping me. I would. For the rest of my life, I want Stefan Salvatore and no one else. Because no one else knows me as he does. And, I don't feel like I could ever be with anyone else like I am with him. Because with Stefan, things are passionate, meaningful. He makes me feel alive. The sweet motion of him kissing my inner thigh makes me arch my back forward, my head burying into the pillows behind me. I can feel my fingers clutching whatever seems to be left of the sheets. Dear god, this is what heaven feels like or maybe something close to it.

He doesn't talk much, just keeps at it. A scrap of his teeth, a moistened kiss from his lips. His heated lips cover parts of my body that are tingling with a full blown want and need. My head is reeling as his rough callused fingertips tug off my underwear fully and my heart skips a beat. I'm exposed fully, bearing my soul to the man I love as he looks up at me briefly with a twinkle in his eyes. "You're so beautiful." He whispers, his voice cracking as I lower my head back against the pillows and feel my body become one with the mattress. Stefan gently places his fingers against my core. Awakening every sensation in my body as it trembles from his touch. My face becomes flushed, my own voice seems to be drowned out by the moaning sounds escaping from my lips and part of me thinks that we'll probably end up getting a noise complaint from the neighbors if I don't keep it down. However, the more pressure Stefan applies with his fingers. First rubbing slowly and then increasing the speed of his movements. I feel like I want to die from the pressure that's building around me. My legs become weightless, my brain only thinking about the things he's doing to me. "Oh good god!" I mutter out, breathless and with a heaving tone. I can't think straight, biting down on my lower lip draws blood as Stefan smirks a little and glances over at me, my eyes tightly shut now, my head turned to the side of his pillow as I inhale his scent. "I feel you all around me." I comment, trying to make sense of my words.

He laughs a little, proud of himself when I stammer out his name in a barely there tone. After a while, my mind goes blank and my body begins to quiver from the intensity of our frequency as he kisses my lips to silence me. I pull him closer, as close as I think anyone can be to another individual. I can feel his heart beating against my chest, his breath tickling upon my neck and pupils dilating when I lower my head back on to his pillow, gasping for a breath. God, I love him. I love him more than I have ever loved anyone in my entire life and all I want to do is stay here with him. Stay forever. Lifting my hand up towards his face, my fingers tremble. I'm nervous as Stefan's eyes narrow down to my hazy gaze and he moves a strand of my hair with his left hand, his soft touch making my body ache for him even more than it already does. He leans down towards my lips, kissing them softly right before he backs away and says in a low voice. "You've changed my life and you've made me a better man. I just want to show you how much I love you, Elena. How much you mean to me."

* * *

**-Stefan-**

"What about the food that's getting cold on the kitchen counter?" Elena giggles, asking me as she moves her hair to the side and leans down as she captures my lips against her own. Breaking apart to calm her racing heart. My palms pressed against her chest as I lean my head down, one of my arms is wrapped around her, loosely stroking the skin of her back.

"That's the least of my concerns." I comment in a cocky tone, earning a smack from her across my bare chest.

"Mhmm." Elena muses, pursing her lips together as she leans her head down slowly and kisses my shoulder, working her way back to the curve of my neck while she scraps her teeth against my flesh and she laughs a little as my body tenses up, cursing under my breath how she's going to fucking kill me with her foreplay and the way she's prolonging the sex that I'm dying for, throbbing all over for.

"Come on babe." I'm whining and pouting at her as she looks up at me briskly, tilting her head to side while she grins wickedly. "This was your idea, lover boy. And, it's my idea to make things last."

"Things last?" My voice cracks as she moves my hand away from her back and places it onto her thigh, keeping it there for a moment until she moves it up towards her shoulder and leans down again, moving her body slowly with every agonizing movement she makes, my muscles stiffened up. Elena kisses, licks and nips at my skin. I can feel her brown hair sweeping across my heated skin and every move and flick she makes with her tongue, lower and lower towards my pelvis. My heart is beating so fast and my blood is coursing through my body at such a fast rate that I feel like I'm high. She's my drug and she's coursing through my veins.

"Oh, how does that feel?" I can hear her ask me, her tongue licking my salty tasting sweat covered skin as she smiles against my flesh and one of my arms moves up to place my hand into her hair, attempting to stop her from what she's about to do. I can feel her slowly tugging at my boxers, her smile growing wider as she's straddling my lap and rocks her hips against my throbbing groin.

I'm. Going. To. Die. A. Happy. Man.

"I'm going to have a heart attack if you keep up at this slow place, sweetheart." I comment teasingly, biting down on my lower lip and trying to stifle a groaning sound. I want her. Damn it, I want her bad and now, in any way that I can have her, I'll take it. "Stop playing games." I growl out as she racks her nails up and down my chest, rocking her hips even harder against mine as I push my head back into the pillows, inhaling her scent that's consumed my every thought.

"I want you, every single piece of you, babe." She states as she pops the last word with her mouth and she takes her hand, lifting up my chin to stare back at her. My gaze locks on her hazy glance. How can someone so innocent be so sexy all at the same time? How can someone make my heart race so much as if it feels like I'm dying slowly?

Elena strokes my cheek with one of her fingertips, the cold feeling of the engagement ring that I had given her leaving a slight tingling feeling against my skin as she hovers over me and whispers softly into my ear. "I don't like playing games either, Stefan. I never have. But, we're going to play by my rules for a few minutes. Since you nearly broke me a little while ago. So, how's that sound? I think you owe me." She questions as I look up at her darkened brown eyes. I'm sweating, my train of thought and my hands are all only thinking about where I could kiss her and touch her next. Elena's got me right where she wants me. Being all of hers. At her complete mercy and falling apart at her every touch of affection.

I don't say a word. I can't function properly because I can feel her hands moving slowly under my boxers to my penis and what she does next makes my eyes grow wide. "My rules. Remember?" She winks jokingly, helping me lower my boxers down to my feet and then she begins kissing just above my belly button. The feeling of Elena's heated mouth makes my body tense up and then relax as she continues to go lower, kissing my thigh. I can feel her breath sweep over my skin right before she closes her eyes and teases me. The warmth of her mouth around my cock, causing the blood to build slowly as her tongue massages the head and I lean back, savoring the moment. One of my eyelids opens as I notice her making eye contact with me, the roughness of her teeth gently teasing me as I exhale deeply, stammering out her name while she continues to flick her tongue against my erect penis and my eyes flutter shut, enjoying the feeling of her warm, heated mouth doing everything she can to drive me insane and preoccupy my whole body.

"I want you." I mutter out, breathless as my knuckles clutch the sheets beneath us. I'm internally screaming for her, my body is aching everywhere for this woman who has reawaken everything within me. After a few minutes and forcing me nearly out of breath, Elena wipes her mouth and smirks with a childish grin. "I'll be right back. You might want to take care of that." She adds on with a wink as she walks towards the bathroom, looking down at my naked body, throwing a thin white sheet from our bed over me as I look down at what she's talking about.

"Fucking hell, Elena." I can hear her laughing as the water in the sink turns on and then off, Elena walks out of the bathroom wearing nothing but another see through thin bedroom sheet, her dark brown straight hair flows down to the middle of her back as she removes her underwear and tosses them aside, crawling over me and straddling my lap.

"Have mercy on me." I choke out as she pauses and placing her hand flatly onto my chest once more.

"If you can handle these over 100 degree fires that your line of work sends you on. I'm pretty sure that you can handle me. I'm not as hot as them." She winks, grinding her naked body against mine as she hands me a condom and glances down at me with a smile, capturing the bottom of my lip in between her teeth with a savory kiss that sends me off the deep end. Growling out her name and tossing the condom on to the dresser, Elena glares at me. "I can't get pregnant, Stefan." She warns me as I nod. We've talked about it, no kids. No yet, neither of us are ready for that just yet. "I know. But, we can still have fun trying. And, you're mistaken babe. You've made me feel hotter than any one of those fires I've ever been in." I whisper into her ear, pinning her down underneath me as I hover over and feel her legs lift up a little, her muscles tightening around me as she places her hand against my face and asks in a sweet tone. "You promise me?"

Nodding, I lock my eyes on her beautiful and delicate face. "I promise, I'll be gentle and slow. And, no babies will be made tonight." I add in jokingly as she shakes her head, smiling when our lips meet and she kisses me roughly, moaning into my mouth as we both become lost in eachother's touch.

* * *

"Ohh, Stefan..." Elena's voice cracks as I lower her back down on to the mattress, kissing every inch of her skin just at the same time as my calloused fingers stroke her thighs and she moans out my name once more, begging me to end her misery of desire. My teeth scraping upon her heated flesh makes her pull me lower down in between her legs, pulling her hips down and closer to me until I feel her wet entrance and she leans her head back, uttering out my name incoherently in between uneven breaths while I slowly set the pace between us, thrusting inside of her gently and then all at once. Our love making isn't rushed as I watch her eyes close once her head hits the pillow behind her and she bites down on her lower lip, attempting to not moan out in pleasure. I can hear the music from my ipod in the living room as if plays on of her favorite songs Ed Sheeran's _Afire Love._

"I love you so much." I tell her, taking the back of my right hand and stroking her cheeks until Elena's eyes flutter open and she refocuses back on me, her chest rising and falling just as mine is. The rapid pace of our breathing and our hearts beating together feels comfortable, it feels like something I never want to lose. "I love you too." She tells me, lifting her head up and kissing me deeply as she leans into my ear and whispers into my ear right before we continue. "You're the love of my life, Stefan Salvatore. It's always been you."

* * *

**-Caroline-**

The last few weeks have been going by so damn quickly and now it's New Years Eve and I feel like all I've been doing is spending them at work. Instead of spending this time with everyone tonight like I was supposed to be doing at Bonnie and Damon's New Years Eve party. I'm stuck at work. In the office at 7 o'clock in the evening until fairly late tonight and their party is supposed to start in an hour. My eyelids are heavy and my brain is spinning with trying to figure out the still open case that we have on the diner fire. "Officer Lockwood." I hear her comment as she knocks loudly on my door and my head pops up from the file that's in front of me.

"Do you have a moment? I just wanted to wish you a happy new year and ask if you could look over something for me." One of the new recruits asks as I inhale sharply and close the file. We've been going over every detail, every small piece of information that would make sense as we try to figure out who could have set the fire to the diner that killed Luke and Rosie.

"There were tire marks leaving a nearby alley way just a few blocks away from the crime scene." Ashley, the new recruit, tells me as she takes another step into my office.

"Tire marks?" She hears me question as I give her a puzzled look. When everyone was looking for clues at the initial investigation, no one had mentioned tire marks anywhere.

"Yeah, like from a truck. They skid out from the spot and someone took a picture of a footprint that day, from a heavy boot. Caroline, whoever did this has to be a guy. I'm fairly sure of it. I had Officer Gilbert look these photos over and he noticed something else as well." She pauses, opening another folder in her hands as she hands me the picture with trembling fingers. I glance down at it, not really noticing anything too out of the ordinary. Until, I look a little harder at it and then I see it clearly. "It's a license plate. They changed their license plates in the alleyway before the fire broke out. They were close to it, Caroline. Whoever did this probably left more clues behind. They were in the area when it happened..." Her voice trails off as I think about it. It's been a little too long since the fire. "We've already looked over everything already. It took us three months to look over-." Ashley takes a seat across from me and taps my desk, shaking her head. "No one went to the coffee shop and asked to see their surveillance cameras from that day. No one remembered to ask some of the other businesses in the area what they saw and the witnesses. The witnesses said that they saw a young woman leaving a gas station and a younger dirty blonde haired man with a pair of sunglasses on asking for directions to a hotel that was miles outside of the city. Yet, no one reported that until three months later!"

It takes me a long drawn out moment until I remember something that Lexi and Jeremy had told me just a few months ago when we were knee deep in trying to figure out everything and when we all had rallied around Elena and Bonnie getting better while trying to decide if we should close the case or keep it open. " It doesn't matter, Ashley. Those things should have been reported right away. But, because of the nature of the crime and the fact that it happened so fast. The precinct missed there chance in getting those surveillance tapes. So, even if the people we're looking for were seen on those tapes, it wouldn't matter now because they're probably all deleted and destroyed. Lexi called that day though. She said that Jeremy Gilbert had a similar case at the precinct he was working on before he transferred over to us." I comment, placing my hands on top of my head as I look around my office, opening a drawer in my desk and pulling out a file that Lexi had given me, one that could link the two cases and a give us a new direction in this case that's nearly gone cold over the last few months. "A new year, new answers." I grumble under my breath as Ashley moves a strand of her red hair and purses her lips together. "So, what's the link?"

Turning the papers towards her with a smirk on my face. I lock my eyes on to her and smile. "There was a couple in Mississippi who had been arrested on drug charges just last year. They had nearly beat a man to death after he didn't pay them the money he owed. Well, that man had a step brother who had lived in New York for a while and his name was Luke."

"I read about that. They arrested them in Mississippi, just three months after it happened. Caroline, it's not the same person or people. This is something a lot more sinister. They were targeting someone and we need to find out who it is before they strike again. These two people could be in the area, Caroline. They could be wandering around town, acting like the locals." Ashley comments, leaning back into her seat as I do the same. This case is going to make me go insane and it's going to drown me in it, I can feel it happening already. If only we could find out who did it and who we're supposed to go after, things would be a lot easier and I could finally put this all to rest.

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"Matt and I just need to grab some more wine and we'll be home soon, I promise. Are Stefan and Elena there yet?" I ask Damon, pressing my cell phone against my ear in the busy grocery store as Matt walks in front of me. He's been worried about his job and about me as well. Even almost a year later, my memories are still a bit spotty and it's been worrying Damon to no end. I can't remember certain events and dates. However, the doctors are optimistic about my injury and they think that overtime everything will just fall back into place.

"Not yet. Tyler and I are getting pretty cozy over here though. I think he's missing his wife a little too much tonight. He's giving me those drunk flirty eyes...You know the ones." I laugh, shaking my head. Their relationship has gotten a lot closer since the accident. I've always thought that the four of them have been close. But, ever since the fire happened and the accident really injured Elena and I. The guys have really formed more of a closer bond which has also included Elena's little brother, Jeremy and his girlfriend, Anna.

"Shit, I got to go. Caroline gets off work in a few hours. So, she won't be here until at least 11:30 tonight. Then, I think Jeremy and Anna just pulled up. I'll see you soon." Damon comments briskly, hanging up on me before I can even say goodbye and ask if he needs anything.

"You alright?" Matt asks me, noticing how my annoyed facial expression becomes ever more present as I look up and see the line in front of us and how busy it is. "I'm fine. It's just my husband being my husband." I reply as Matt laughs a little and pats my back. "He loves you more than you know, Bon." Matt states in a knowing tone as I smile and try to remember that.

"Ugh! Bloody hell!" We both hear in a loud British accent as Matt and I stand closer together and step forward in the long line of customers getting their last minute new years alcohol and food for the night. "We're in a rush and now we have to stand in line with these people, who are all in a rush and impatient as well. We only have like one thing." I glance up to notice a young woman with sunglasses covering her eyes state as she tosses a strand of her dark brown curly hair off of her shoulder and wraps her arm around the tall dark haired man next to her while he smiles at us.

"Would you totally hate us if we asked to cut in front of you?" She asks, sliding off her black Fossil sunglasses as I'm looking her over. She reminds me of someone and she's giving me a bad vibe all at the same time. I can tell she must give the man she's with, one hell of a headache because she's dressed all in designer clothing, her hair is perfectly in place and she just smells like wealth as she crosses her arms over her black leather jacket, shifting her weight against one of her legs.

"No, go right ahead." Matt says with a beaming smile. He's giving her a flirtatious glance as I watch her pop her sunglasses back in place, turning back around to give him a second glance when she sweetly mouths a quick "Thank you."

"See how nice he was. Not all people in New York are jerks!" She comments to the man as he looks back at Matt, nodding. "Thanks, mate." He too says as I stand there and watch them pay, noticing that even through her sunglasses, she's staring back at Matt the whole time.

"Are you alright?" He asks me once they've left, nudging my shoulder as I stand there with the wine bottle in my arms and a bag of chips. I don't notice it until they leave, the fact that my whole body is trembling. I nearly drop the bottle of wine on to the floor. But, Matt takes it from me quickly as he looks back at them leaving and then he looks at me. "Bonnie, are you sure you're okay?"

Shaking my head, I look up at him with tears in my eyes and I hear myself reply with a quivering tone. "I'm fine. I'm sorry." I quickly tell him, brushing off my small meltdown as just being tired from working again and trying to figure out wedding plans with Damon over the last few weeks. "It's nothing, really." I add on, trying to shake the imagine of the dirty haired, British speaking young man's stone cold facial expression and emotionless filled eyes out of my mind as I swallow the fear down in my throat without saying another word. Something is off about those two and all I keep telling myself is that we won't ever see them again. Although, I have a dreaded feeling that this won't be just the first and last encounter and I'm already terrified.

* * *

**A/N: For those of you who haven't read One and Only...Anyone have any guesses as to who Matt and Bonnie just met?**

**Please feel free to leave me a review with your thoughts. :)**


	33. Chapter Thirty-Three

**Before You Were Mine Chapter Thirty-Three**

**-Matt-**

"Ouch!" I'm clutching the edge of the exam room table as the doctor looks me over and tsks loudly. "I'm sorry to say Mr. Donovan. But, you won't be able to return to work for a while." He tells me, his thick black rimmed glasses sliding off to the edge of his nose as he takes one finger and lifts them up slowly to stare up at me directly. "Matt, your shoulder and back injury is a lot more worse than I had thought it had been earlier and the we're most likely going to need to up your intake of the prescription pills that I had proscribed. We can put you on more-." I'm cringing at the thought of taking more pills than I should be. They haven't been working in the last year. What makes him think that they'll be working at all now?

I shake my head, lifting myself up off the table and trying to figure out how I'm going to tell our new temporary assistant chief Tyler about how I'll be on workers compensation for a while or on sick leave until my back and shoulder start feeling better again. "How long do you think I'll be out of work? Will I need surgery?" He hears me ask, darting his eyes up from the chart and straight at me when he shakes his head and exhales deeply.

"I'm not sure, Mr. Donovan. Since you're refusing to take anymore of the pills I've prescribed to you. I'm highly recommending that you have surgery on your shoulder and I'd also recommend you seeing a physical therapist at least twice a week until your lower back begins to feel better. Because if you don't, within time..You're going to feel much worse."

Nodding, I stay silent as he writes down his recommendations and hands me the slip. "Take care of yourself, Mr. Donovan." He adds on right before getting up and stepping out of the room without another word. As I watch him leave, I lean my tired and aching body into the cushion of the exam table and glance up at the ceiling. What's everyone going to think of me if I don't get better? What if my back pain gets even worse than before and I'll need a high dosage of drugs than that the doctors are prescribing me?

Shaking the thoughts away from my mind, my cell phone in my pocket comes alive as it buzzes against my thigh and I dig it out, answering promptly with a soften "Hello."

"Hey, Matty boy. It's Stefan. Listen, we need you back at the firehouse as soon as you can get here. It's important, I'm out on a call. But, Tyler needs to talk to you. I guess, it's about Patrick..He's holding an informal meeting." He tells me, leaving me without any more details as I tell him that I'm just waiting on the nurse to comeback with a written slip from the doctors and that I'll be there as soon as I can.

"Great. I'll see you soon." Stefan hangs up the phone quickly. His abrupt call makes me lean my head against the pillow and close my eyes for a moment. My mind begins to wander as I lay there and think about it. What it must feel like to be Stefan Salvatore at the moment. He's got an amazing career going on, a beautiful girlfriend who loves him more than anyone could even imagine and words been spreading fast that Stefan could be up for a promotion within the ranks soon. According to a few of the guys at work, Patrick Murphy's finally stepping down and Tyler and Damon are up for the running to take his spot. Which would leave Damon's position open and, which could mean that Stefan could easily become the new lieutenant. If that happened, to be honest, I think I'd become fairly jealous of Stefan because I've worked my ass off for this firehouse and for the new rook to get it before I did. Yeah, that wouldn't seem fair at all. Now, would it?

Laughing a little to myself, I shake my head. Stefan wouldn't want that job anyways. He's too focused on other things to want that much responsibility of taking on Damon's old spot at the station. However, myself on the other hand..Now, I would love to be the new lieutenant in charge….Just as long as no one got in my way and by no one, I mean Stefan.

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"Sweetie. Please, tell me something. When is Damon Salvatore making this wedding of yours happen?" My mom asks me impatiently, sliding into a booth beside me at this newly opened diner across the street from the firehouse as I glance up at her from my menu in my hands. We had agreed to talk wedding plans and dates. At least, that's why I'm here, waiting for Damon to get off of work. Instead, he just called and told me that he'd be an hour late and to call my mother instead so that she could keep me company while I waited for him.

"Mother, we're planning it for about three to four months from now." I comment, watching as she nods her head and we hear the bell above the door to this new diner ring as she looks past me and waves him over. "I am so sorry that I'm late. Took a little less time than I thought it would though." Damon comments, leaning over to kiss my mother on the cheek and taking a seat next to me. He sits beside me and clasps our hands together as Abby looks on when Damon kisses my lips softly. "Hi baby." He says with a beaming smile, the scent of smoke from his work gear fills the air when Damon clears his throat. "Work has been absolutely insane lately. Our battalion chief is about to resign and so everyone's scrambling in trying to figure out what our department is going to do next. That's why I was late. Patrick just made the announcement about his resignation, word is that he's been on an investigation since the fire at Rosie's." He adds on, squeezing my hand just a little as my mother looks at us and clears her throat.

"Enough about work." She states, leaning forward as she places one of her hands on top of the other and says. "Tell me more about this long awaited wedding and when you two plan on giving me a grand baby."

Damon can feel it. The pressure my nails are creating as they dig into his skin and he gives me a knowing look as I let out a hardy laugh. "A grandchild? Woman, will you slow down. We've only been engaged for a little over a year and for goodness sakes, the wedding hasn't even happened yet. How about you ask me after the honeymoon is over?" I'm irritated as I drop Damon's hand, getting up and leaving the table while I groan out a breath and hear him running after me once I let the cool air from outside hit my face and I'm standing on the sidewalk, pissed off and beyond annoyed at my own mother.

"All she wants is for my life to turn out perfectly and for us to rush things!" I scream out, watching Damon close his eyes as he observes my meltdown. My long awaited meltdown.

"It's just pre-wedding jitters. Bonnie, everything is going to be just fine." I scoff at his comforting words. Everything is going to be just fine? Since when? Nothing in our lives has been fine since the fire happened. Every single person that we know keeps asking why Damon and I have kept putting off the wedding and why we just don't get married right away and every single one of our friends has been dealing with some form of PTSD since the fire happened. Matt has a horrible shoulder and back injury, Tyler has this burn on his back that he won't even allow Caroline to see. Caroline has buried herself into her works so that she doesn't have to deal with the fact that the doctors keep telling her that she can't have babies. Stefan and Elena, well...Elena can't sleep at night and Stefan can't figure out why in the hell she won't stop writing in her journal so late at night and just talk to him instead! We're all a bunch of lunatics, if you ask me.

"Bon, listen to me." He says, coming towards me with outstretched arms as I collapse my tired body into his chest, my head leaning against his heart. I close my eyes, attempting to drown out all the background noise and listen to the light thumping of his heart beating into my ears. But, there is no use. All I can think about is my mothers words and all I can feel around me is a massive amount of pressure coming from every single angle in my life.

"Why don't we just escape from the city? Just the two of us for a few days. It'd be good..." Damon's voice trails off as my eyes meet his and I keep my head against his chest while I feel his arms wrap around me tightly. "Where are we going to go, Damon? It's not like we can afford a getaway anyways. We have a house we need to pay for now and medical bills that just keep piling up still. We can't even really afford leaving town together for two days!" I exclaim as he exhales while softly speaking. "I'll surprise you with something then. Just give me tonight and I'll think of something. I just don't want to see my girl so stressed out." He tells me, kissing my hair as I wrap my arms around him tigher and glance back at the firehouse across the street, noticing a few familiar faces washing one of the fire trucks outside.

"You're going to surprise me?" He hears me question as we both pull away from each other and I feel his hands gliding up and down my arms as he locks his blue gaze on to my stressed out glance. "Yes, Bonnie Bennett. I am going to make sure that my future wife has the most romantic night tonight with the man she loves that you won't know what to with yourself. And, if you're lucky enough..Maybe, tonight will make you fall in love with me all over again." He winks, kissing my forehead before taking a deep breath and commenting on how he needs to get back to the station for another meeting.

"Tonight..." He says, pointing to me as he backs away and adds in loudly. "Be prepare to have your world rocked, Bon Bon."

"Don't be so sure of yourself." I shout out with a laugh, watching him cross the street as he looks back at me and grins. "There's my girl. All smiles."

"I love you!" He yells out as I blow him a kiss the minute his foot hits the other side of the street and is on the sidewalk. Turning back to the diner, I notice my mother who has already paid for our bill and is leaning against the wall as she says. "You've got yourself one hell of a fine young man there, sweetheart."

"I know." She hears me softly reply, walking up to her as I begin to brainstorm what Damon must possibly have in his mind and why he's going back to the firehouse again. It can't be for a meeting, he already had one of those. It's got to be for something else..Something he's not telling me about.

* * *

**-Elena-**

"Oh, thank god that you're here! I've tried calling you like six times!" He hears me state, pulling him into one of the closed off rooms in the fire station as Stefan's older brother locks the door behind him and gives me a perplexed look. "I got your text messages. Now, what's the big emergency?"

I'm pacing the floor, twisting my fingers together as he takes a seat on one of the bunk beds and keeps his eyes on me the whole time. "Elena, talk to me."

"Well, this happened." I comment, showing him the bright and flashy diamond ring on my hand that I wasn't wearing at all just a few weeks ago, during the new years party because I wasn't sure how any of our friends would react to Stefan and I being engaged and I hadn't even spoken with him about how and when we were going to announce it.

"I know about that. I helped him plan it." Damon comments, smirking at me as my eyes grow big and I stop my pacing. "Seriously?"

He laughs, shaking his head. "Do you really think that my brother could have figured all of that out by himself? Oh honey, he was so nervous that he almost threw up. So, I had to step in. Congratulations by the way, the ring is beautiful and I really hope you two have a wonderful life together."

I cough out a breath, inhaling while grinding my teeth back and forth. I can't shake this nervous feeling, these jitters or whatever they are, have been messing with my head and have been making me feel nauseated. "Well, I think his nervousness, transferred over to me just recently." Damon lets out a laugh, shaking his head and leaning his back against the wall. I watch him cross his arms over his chest, giving me an intense and curious stare.

"What do you mean? Having second thoughts about being a Salvatore? Because, if you are. I'm just going to say that you shouldn't. You're going to be a great addition to this family and Stefan loves you more than anyone and he's going to be an amazing husband to you. I swear that he will, because if he's not. I'll royally kick his ass at anytime he needs it! You just let me know."

I shake my head in disagreement. It's not that at all. I know he loves me and I know that he's going to be an amazing husband. It's something else that has been making me feel unsettled. This growing heartburn in my stomach, that's going up and down my esophagus and making me want to vomit. Maybe that's it? It's just heartburn...The sight of food, the smell of food..All of it is making me sick...Maybe Stefan's poisoning me and trying to kill me off?

Closing my eyes and collecting my irrational thoughts, I take a seat next to Damon and after a few minutes of pure silence between us, I finally blurt out what's been plaguing me for the last few weeks. "A few months ago, your brother and I got a little drunk together and played Never have I ever..." My voice cracks as Damon lets out a loud laugh, smiling widely he asks. "Let me guess, things got heated?"

Nodding and twisting my fingers together until my bones crack I stare down at my shaking hands. "Yeah, they did. That's besides the point though. I've been feeling a little sick, a little...nauseous."

"What are you saying, Elena?" It's a deafening silence, all I can hear is the sound of my own breathing and the loud echoing of my heart beating inside of my ear drums. "I'm saying that I woke up this morning with what I thought was heart burn and after talking to Caroline. I realized that it couldn't be that because it's been going on for over two weeks now and..." My voice trails off as I turn my head and look at Damon with a hesitant stare as he says in a soft tone while rubbing my back.

"Get to the point, please." He tells me with a smile. Tears begin welling up into my eyes as I turn towards him fully and finally stammer out what the symptoms have been telling me for weeks now. But, what my heart and brain have been trying to deny for months. "I think I might be pregnant, Damon."

He jumps up from the bed in lightening speed, hugging me tightly and excitedly talking so fast that all I can make out is the words. "Does Stefan know yet?"

Shaking my head and turning away from him. I calmly give myself a minute to figure out what I'm going to answer to his question. "No. Stefan's has had to deal with way too much lately and this is the last thing that I want him to worry about. Honestly, he doesn't need to know just yet and I don't need him coddling me. I want to make sure that I actually am pregnant before I even tell him."

Damon nods his head in understanding, kissing my cheek lightly as he bends down and stares me right in the eyes when he says. "You don't want to wait too long." Glancing down at the clock in the room, Damon walks over to the door and places his hand on to the door knob. "I should get going." He says as I too get up, reaching out for him just as the door opens a tiny bit and then he shuts it again. "Damon, please don't tell him! I need to make sure that I actually am before he finds out. I don't want to get his hopes up and this wasn't even planned. We haven't even really talked about having children or what we would do if it happened like this."

He's grinning happily from ear to ear as he turns back to me and lifts my chin with the tip of his finger. "Don't worry buttercup. Your little possible bun in the oven secret is safe with me. I promise, you can trust me to not tell a soul."

"Why do I feel like you're lying?" I ask him, my eyebrows raised as he smirks a little and shakes his head. "Everyone else won't know. Except for me, you and Bonnie."

"You want to tell Bonnie! No!" I reply, slapping his arms as he blocks his face with his hands and laughs. "Oh come on..Either I tell Bonnie or I tell my brother. It's your choice."

I tug on the corner of his black t-shirt, twisting the fabric in between my hands while narrowing my eyes at him as I threaten him to make my point very known. "If you tell anyone about what I just told you. If anything from our discussion leaves this room and I find out about it. You, my loving and loyal soon to be brother in law..You will be a dead man and I will kick you into next week. Understood?"

Chuckling, he pats the top of my head while leaving the room. "No worries, feisty little soon to be sister in law. I'd rather keep my life in tact. I won't tell anyone, anything. Trust me." He winks, pivoting away from me as I shake my head and silently pray that I've done the right thing. I needed to tell someone about this and telling Damon of all people, made the most logical sense. Or, at least I hope it did. I guess only time will tell. Funny, I think to myself..Only time will tell? Yeah, only time will tell me a lot of things from now on. Like, this one simple burning question that won't leave me alone...Am I even ready to be a mother?

* * *

**A/N: So, if Elena really is pregnant..How do you all think it will change her relationship with Stefan? Will it make them stronger together? And, what about her keeping her possible pregnancy a secret for a while? Also, sounds like Matt is about to go down a very dark road...Hmm...Sooner or later, all of this will make sense and we will find out why I brought in Klaus and Katherine. Remember, there is a reason behind it. ;)**

**-Until Next Time!-**


	34. Chapter Thirty-Four

* * *

**Before** **You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty-Four**

**-Stefan-**

_Her smile is infectious, her laugh makes my stomach twist into knots as she holds the bottle of gin in between her fingertips and leans against the wall. The apartment is filled with strangers and well known friends, a little anniversary party for my brother and Bonnie._

" _Can you believe how many people showed up to this thing?" Elena asks, the red dress she's wearing presses against her body, making my heart race a bit. She looks stunning as she pushes herself away from the wall and begins walking towards me. "We should rejoin them." She states, pointing up to_ _the crowd outside on the rooftop as she places the bottle on to the counter top and I turn my head to hear my brother shout out that they should play a game._

" _Come on, it'll be fun!" Elena comments, grabbing a hold of my hand and pulling me out on to the lavish decorated rooftop that she and Caroline had been decorating all day long as she tugs on my hand and keeps a hold of it once we're outside, standing closely to me when she notices that Matt's brought an unexpected guest, Makayla._

" _Alright, ya'll. Here's the rules." Makayla announces, stepping away from Matt and smirking at me as she takes a step back and stands in the middle of the circle that we've all formed around the fire pit._ _"_ _The first player says a simple statement starting with "Never have I ever". Anyone who has done what the first player has not must drink. We'll keep going around the circle, until everyone has made a statement." She smiles widely as she tells everyone to take a seat. "Now, by the end of this game. We're all most likely going to be fairly drunk. So, please drink responsibly." She laughs, pivoting away on her heels as the game begins and I feel Elena tighten her fingers around my hand, leaning into me as she whispers. "I've never played this before." Laughing, I kiss the side of her cheek, reassuring her that she'll be fine and to follow my lead._

_Damon laughs, beginning first as he says. "Never have I ever fantasized about anyone in this room..."_

" _Shit!" I grumble, taking a straight shot of the bourban in my left hand._

" _Ohhh!" Bonnie points to me, shaking her head when she adds in. "I bet all your dirty thoughts have been about Elena."_

" _Sorry, Bon Bon." I wink, leaning my head back as I laugh and then I feel Damon nudge my shoulder as he says. "Your turn."_

" _Never have I ever performed a striptease for someone." I grin, lifting my eyebrows as Elena smacks my arm. "Ouch! What the hell was that for?" She shakes her head, whispering "Liar." softly into my ear._

_I watch Caroline take a long drown out sip of the gin and tonic she has in her hands as we all turn towards her and she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. "What?" She glares at all of us, pointing towards Tyler as her cheeks redden and she adds in. "He made me do it once at the firehouse."_

" _I would have payed money to see that!" Damon howls out, getting a well deserved smack on the shoulder from Bonnie as her eyes widen and she rolls her eyes._

_I turn towards Elena, smiling widely as I hand her the bourbon bottle and she clears her throat. I can hear her soft voice trembling as she says. "Never have I ever woken up next to a total stranger."_

" _Well, shit!" Matt grumbles, taking a sip of his drink as he leans his head back and shakes his head. "I can't be the only one!" He looks around, watching as Elena hands the bottle to Tyler while he smiles and leans his head towards Caroline when he says. "Never have I ever said "I love you" just to get laid."_

_Elena and I watch while Caroline mumbles out a curse word under her breath as she takes a sip of the alcohol in her cup, telling Tyler that she wishes he would have said something else all together._

_I'm starting to feel it after a while and as the hours tick by, my legs are feeling wobbly as Elena leans against me, laughing at a funny facial expression that Bonnie had just made from across the room. "Ohh pleasee, we all know you have, Ty!" She slurs, leaning into my ear and whispering how hot she feels and if we weren't around all these people that she'd be letting loose a little bit more._

_Caroline scoffs, shaking her head and laughing with excitement as she takes the bottle from Tyler's hand and leans over, giving it to Makayla. "Never have I ever taken a nude and sent it to someone." I can't even look her in the eyes as I take a shot of whiskey and feel it burn down my throat. We're mixing hard liquors and the amount of alcohol we've all consumed over the last few hours should have some of us, piss ass drink. Including myself as I lean against Elena and grab her cheeks, my unsteady eyes and coordination find her lips and she giggles a sweet laugh when I lean into her, opening my mouth and kissing her in front of everyone nearly erotically. Elena backs away, wiping my lips from her red lipstick as it smudges against my chin and she leans into me even more as we both laugh. Damon and Bonnie shout out for us to get a room as I throw them a knowing look and take a hold of Elena's hand tightly, leading her back into the apartment. Just near the door that leads back down to our apartment, she pushes me up against the wall, kissing me with a heated passionate kiss. She backs away from me, breathless and smirking as she whispers into my ear. "Take me to bed."_

_Gripping on to her hand, Elena laughs as we both stumble towards the bedroom in the dark. I can hear her heels kicking off of her feet while her lips search for my mouth and she kisses me again, this time a lot more uncoordinated and sloppily than before. I can feel her body relax into me once the door closes, the blood flowing throughout my body can be heard inside of my ear drums as her fingers begin undoing my belt buckle and I help her take off my white t-shirt. I'm smiling like a fool as Elena runs her fingers over my stomach, her lips replacing her fingers as she takes my hands and moves them to hike her dress up to her waistline. "I'm feeling a little hot." She laughs, pushing her hair aside as I move closer towards her. My fingertips graze against her collarbone as she closes her eyes, moaning out a breath._

" _I don't even have a condom with me, Elena." I comment, trying to sound responsible as her eyes fly open suddenly and she sucks down on my earlobe, kissing my ear while she whispers. "It doesn't matter."_

_Pulling back away from her, I place my hands onto her shoulders as I try to understand what she's saying. "You want to risk it?" I ask her, the tone in my voice slurs my words as she places her hand against my bare chest and nods with a lust filled glance. "What's the worst that could happen?"_

The sound of the overhead speaker in the grocery store jolts me out of my memories as I walk in front of Matt and look back to Tyler who's smiling at me while he tosses a bag of peppers into the cart that he's pushing. "We need ingredients and more food at the station. Since your brother thinks he's some world renounced chef or something." We all laugh as I watch Matt walk in front of us and Tyler leans into me, asking me a question. "Does it bother you that he's dating your ex-girlfriend?"

"Matt's dating Makayla?" I ask, unknowingly bringing up the subject since I was so unaware of it to begin with.

Tyler nods, his eyes widening as he looks away from me and then I feel his hand fall upon my back. "Man, you really have been out of the loop lately. They just started dating. A month ago after her dad was transferred over to another district. I guess Patrick's position is up for grabs and that means that Damon's will be open too. I think you should apply for it."

"You think that I'd be a good lieutenant for 17?" Tyler nods his head, whispering softly that I'd be better for it than Matt Donovan. "Matt wants the spot and maybe it would shake things up if you applied for it too. Stefan, this could finally get you and Elena the house of your dreams. You could both move out of that shitty apartment and finally into the house you've both always wanted. She told Caroline how you've been looking at houses and how you both found a cute little one, close to the station and near town. It sounds perfect."

I shrug my shoulders back, something about the idea of taking my brother's old position makes me feel a little out of place and makes my head hurt a bit. "I just don't think that anyone is as good as Damon is for that job, Tyler. Look, I'll call Elena when we get back to the station and we can figure it out." I tell him, brushing it off as Matt falls into step beside me and pats me on the back. "In case you haven't heard-."

I cut him off, taking a step back as I sarcastically respond with a bit of a flat tone. "I've heard, you're dating my ex-girlfriend. Trust me, man. I'm not jealous. I got the one that I wanted and I'm beyond happy that Makayla and I aren't together anymore. So, best of luck with her, Matty. Let's just hope that she doesn't drive you fucking crazy, like she did to me."

* * *

**-Elena-**

"Wait, Damon! I'm not ready for this." He stops in his tracks, halfway down the hallway, oddly enough, he's laughing as he looks up at me.

"You're kidding me, right?" He asks as I cross my arms over my stomach and nod my head. I remember my mom being really shitty to my brother and I. To be honest, that's the only example of a mother that I've ever had and to me, Miranda Gilbert certainly never won any mother of the year awards for raising my brother and I. My only role model sucked and I can't follow her example nor would I ever want to follow her as an example.

Damon shakes his head, rushing back over to me as he places both of his hands on to my shoulders, attempting to shake me out of my nonsense. "Stop sounding stupid, Elena. You are going to be amazing mom. Believe me, with the help of my brother. Neither of you will fail the way your own mother did. Now, go make that damn appointment for today so that you can find out if your nauseousness really is because of being pregnant." He winks, kissing my forehead and stepping away from me as he adds in. "I promise that I'll keep this between us for now. Let me know when you do tell him though. Make sure to take a picture of it, I want to frame his reaction!" Damon comments, walking away from me and leaving me standing in the middle of the hallway at the firehouse, swallowing down my own doubts as I take the cell phone out of my purse and begin dialing. One ring passes and then a second before the receptionist answers in a cheerful tone. "Thank you for calling Dr. Martin's office. This is Stacy, how may I help you?" She asks as I cough out a breath and softly speak. "Hi, I'd like to make an appointment with doctor Martin. If at all possible, I'd love to see her as soon as possible. Today preferably."

"If this is an emergency, ma'am. You should go to the local E.R.-" Cutting her off, I add in that it isn't and that I just want to be seen.

"Alright. I have a 1:30 appointment available for today. Would that work?" I clear my throat, telling her that I'll be there soon and without a second thought, I prepare myself for the visit.

* * *

"I think Abigail would be a lovely name." An expectant father says as he places his hands on to his wife's fairly round belly in the clinic's waiting room. My own stomach tightens, I'm all alone as I look around the room and lean my head back against the wall, thinking about how it was exactly that I'd gotten myself into this mess. I mean, don't get me wrong, Stefan and I had talked about having children a few times and we had decided that if it happened, it happened. However, I guess it happening so quickly threw me off and now, I just don't know what to feel. I'm scared mostly. I'm scared for a lot of reasons. The fact that we don't really even have a house yet, that I still don't know what's going to happen with his job or mine. The knowing fear of being a mother, the list goes on. My mind drifts off as my eyes close and my fingers clutch on to my purse that's in my lap. I remember that night vividly, it's almost as if I can feel his touch on my skin when my eyes shut and I think about the night we had drunken sex in our apartment during the anniversary party we had thrown for his brother. Stefan and I were so out of it that we weren't even giving a shit if anyone heard us and it surely was a night to remember….

_Moaning loudly into his ears while his hands gripped my hips and he holds me closer, the friction between us was building at a rapid pace as I sloppily kissed his mouth, my teeth grazing against his jawline while my kisses moved from one part of his body to the next. "God damn, Elena." I could hear him hiss out, a pulsating pressure of want and need were making our movements hurried and clumsy. "I want you so badly." He said, making me tremble against his naked body, the sheets between us made our skin to skin contact a bit harder as I felt his erection building inside of his pants. Unzipping them slowly with my fingers, I smirked as I rolled my hips forward while straddling his lap. "Stop teasing me!" He warned, a glistening in his eyes, a sexy raspy tone of voice dancing upon my skin as he said the words while leaving a kiss here and there upon my overheated skin. I felt Stefan quickly turn us around when he lowered me down on the mattress of our bedroom and began delicately removing my dress. My legs wrapped around his torso still, his pants unzip as my heels pushed them down off of his backside and towards his knees._

_I could see the sweet look of pleasure forming across his face as I arched my back forward while he kissed my stomach and then moved his hands and mouth towards my bra. His fingers unlatched the back of it and the minute he freed my breasts from the compromising position they were in, he began kissing the middle of my chest. His tongue circling around my aroused nipples as I turned my head and cried out into the pillow, fisting the pillowcase in between my fingertips while he continued his assault of a swirling and flicking motion against my breasts with his tongue. The moment I caught my breath was when he finally moved up towards my collarbone and to my ears. His voice was scratchy, a heated sensation of fire fueled his words. "I'm yours, Elena. Always. I never want anyone else but me making love to you this way. Because, you're mine."_

_I could hear my breathing hitch as my fingers glided through his hair, tugging at the tips of it, I spoke in a shaky tone. "Always." I begged him to keep going as he moved downward and I could feel his calloused hands latching against my panties and the moment they slide down to my knees, my heart stopped as I felt myself growing wet for him. Stefan pulled me against his chest, silencing my moans with an open mouthed kiss as he slowly sunk himself into me and all of our worried washed away in each other's arms._

My face is flushed and reddened when the door to the exam rooms opens and the nurse steps out, calling my name and telling me to go with her. I get up on shaky legs, steadying myself once I reach the door and explain that I'm feeling a bit weak in the knees. She says nothing as she takes my height and weight, jotting something down on to her chart while I smile at her and then she walks me back to an empty room.

"You can sit on the bed. I'm just going to take your blood pressure and ask you a few questions. You know the drill." She smiles sweetly at me, looking a bit concerned as she says my blood pressure seems a bit high and that she'll notify the doctor of it all before she comes to see me.

Waiting, my mind is in a daze as I quickly hear the door open and then it shuts just as fast again. "Elena, good to see you again." I hear Dr. Martin state as I lift my head up and readjust myself on the table. "So," She says softly, washing her hands and drying them as she looks over my chart with a small frown on her face. "The last time you were in here was for a head injury from the fire...What's going on this time around?"

I'm quiet for a while, my hands placed in my lap as my finger begins spinning my engagement ring around and I have to stop myself from the nervous habit that I've formed as I explain. "My fiancee and I...We..." My voice trials off as I clear my throat and correct myself. "I think I might be pregnant."

Her smile widens as she looks my chart over again and inhales sharply. "Have you taken a home pregnancy test?" She asks.

Nodding, I reply. "Yeah. I've taken several and they're all coming back positive. It's just I came here because I wanted to be about 100 percent certain before I told anyone. Especially my fiance." She smiles, leaning forward and placing her hand on top of mine as she says in a sweet tone. "Well, let's get you all set up for some blood work and we'll go from there."

"Okay." I tell her nervously, swinging my legs back and forth as she says that she's going to send in a technician to take my blood and that it shouldn't take too long to get the results back.

* * *

Hours pass when I finally make it home and the minute I step through the door, I can hear music, smell the aroma of onions and what sounds like chopping coming from the kitchen. "I'm home!" I shout out as I hear a loud clattering of pots and pans coming from the kitchen and a few curse words being yelled from Stefan's mouth.

"Hi sweetheart!" He exclaims, tossing a towel over his shoulder as he licks some red tomato sauce from his fingers while walking over to me. He kisses the side of my face, smudging off the sauce as we both laugh. I watch him take a seat on our couch, patting the empty cushion beside him as he gives me a bit of a worried stare. "Are you alright? You look a little flushed." He says with an observant tone as I swallow down the vomit that's starting to creep up inside of my throat once more. The smell of the food he's making for dinner would have sounded appetizing hours earlier. But, now, I want to puke!

"I'm fine. I actually went to the doctor today…" My voice trails off as he notices my relaxed shoulders tense up when I take a seat beside him and lean my head against his shoulder. "Oh yeah? What did she say? Are you in perfect health.." He winks, trailing his hand against my thigh as I slap away his hand and exhale heavily. I'm waiting for the right moment to tell him, to let him know about the results and the whole way home, I had convinced myself that it was now or never. I take his hand into mine, lacing our fingers together as I finally spit out. "I know that you've been stressed out about work and I know that everything is going to be just fine. I also know how amazing of a human being you are and how wonderful of a father you're going to be..."

He pushes away from me, confusion in his evident in his leaf green eyes and in the tone of his voice as he repeats my words. "Going to be?"

Nodding, the tears seems to fall in a quick succession and once they start, I can't stop them as Stefan leans forward and places his forehead upon mine. "Sweetheart, are you sure?"

"Yeah." I sniffle out, feeling his lips against my own as he cups my face in between his hands and we break away for a moment just as a I finish my thought. "I'm pregnant, Stefan and you're going to be a dad!"

* * *

**-Bonnie-**

"This is completely silly, Damon." My eyes are closed tightly as he leads me down a hallway and from the cool breeze against my bare legs, I notice that we're someplace outside and it's peacefully quiet.

"No, it isn't. This is just perfect, Bonnie. It's a reminder of our love and tonight, I wanted just that." He comments, placing his hands against my shoulders and undoing the blind fold from my eyes as he leans into my ear and tells me to open my eyes. "Go ahead, it might look familiar." I'm perplexed as I look around the large vast green field and the bleachers around us, the university that we had both gone to school sits like a monument behind us.

"What are we doing here, Damon?" I ask him, joking around as I say that maybe he came back to finish his degree.

"Well," He pauses, taking a seat on to the bleachers as he spreads his legs and shrugs his shoulders back, turning around to pick up a picnic basket.

"We're having dinner at the place we first met. Our alma mater. And, since I wanted to make this special for you, I figured why not make tonight a time to remember." He comments, hoping off the bleachers and standing in front of me as he takes my hands into his. I can see the sincerity on his face, the love for me he has in his blue eyes as he says with a soft and loving tone. "I know that this last year has been really hard on you and that as much as you've tried. You still can't remember the time I proposed to you. So, I figured that I'd make it a bit more memorable." Kissing the top of my hand, Damon gleefully smiles up at me as he bends down on one knee and says what he's been clearly dying to say to me this whole time.

"Bonnie Bennett. Your strength and your courage are just a few of the reasons why I love you. You make me laugh on my tough days, on the nights where I'm exhausted and too tired to think, your arms keep me safe and warm. You never criticize and you always make me smile, no matter what mood I'm in. I love you with my whole heart and soul. So, I'm asking you this once again. Because, there is no doubt in my mind that I want to spend the rest of my life with you by my side as your partner in crime." He pauses, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he adds in. "As long as you'll have me. I will always want you. Marry me, Bon and don't make me ask a third time." He laughs, putting my ring back on to my finger as I nod my head, wrapping my arms around him tightly as I kiss his cheeks and whisper into his ear. "Yes! Always, I'd still marry you. Even if you did ask me for a third time! I love you, Damon."

Inhaling sharply, he wraps his arms around me tightly, lifting my feet off the ground while spinning me around as he says in a tone of relief. "Hopefully there won't need to be a third time. But, thank god you didn't back out. Because, let's be honest, planning a wedding by myself really would have sucked!"

* * *

**A/N: More good things to come soon!** **Please feel free to comment! :)**


	35. Chapter Thirty-Five

A/N: I can't believe we're already at CH.35 of this story...Do you all think that we can make it to 60 chapters?

Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24

Thanks so much for reading & reviewing.

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty-Five

-Stefan-

Her hands are shaking as she blinks her eyelids rapidly at me. "Stefan, say something. Anything. Like, oh, we're having kids! Yey!" I hear her tell me as my eyes widen and my heart beat increases, it hadn't hit me yet. And, just after a few minutes. Now, it has. Children? I'm going to be a dad? For some reason, it's hard to swallow as I push my fragile feeling body up from the couch and step out on to the balcony of our apartment, heading up to the rooftop. I hear Elena following me as she utters out a few curse words.

"I thought you'd be happy about this!" She states, her voice a bit harsh and pissed off as she shakes her head and looks away, wrapping her arms around her tiny and barely visible baby bump.

I turn to face her, still not saying anything as I take out a cigarette that Damon had given me earlier in the week, almost as if he had known. "Here little bro, just in case you need this for something, stress relief or whatever."

"You're smoking? You never smoke!" Elena comments, her tone observant as I take the lighter out of my pocket and step a few feet away from her, placing it to my lips and taking a long drawn out drag of the nicotine, allowing the smoke to really fill my lungs before I exhale. "Good stress relief." I reply back with a small laugh as she shakes her head, scoffing.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" She complains as I turn around, still holding the cigarette with a very pissed off expression of my own. "Oh, I don't know, Elena. You just dropped a bombshell on me. Excuse me as I come out here to find some peace and clear my head regarding the fact that we're going to be parents and we're not even ready for it!" She crosses her arms, rubbing them slightly from the cold air around us as she huffs out a breath and I watch her slowly make her way towards our apartment.

"You are unbelievable!" She glares at me before walking back inside as she stands near the door for a few minutes, like she's waiting for me to follow her. When I don't, she shakes her head one last time and leaves without another word.

The moment that Elena's gone, I take out the small bottle of bourbon that Damon had given me weeks ago too. Now that I think about, it's almost as if he had known that I'd need that as well. I allow the alcohol to slowly drip down my throat and after a few small sips of it, my aching body and racing mind scream "Fuck it all!" and I'm downing the bottle before I can stop myself. It won't get me drunk. It won't even get me buzzed. But, the small amount of liquid courage will give me a few minutes of peace and quiet and some time to think about this newly developed situation that we've found ourselves in. Realistically, Elena's probably as scared as I am. Yet, I'm the one acting out. Funny how that works.

She must think I'm an asshole.

As I sit there though, I think about the facts. The hard ones. Elena doesn't even really have a job right now, working at the police station part time as a receptionist, isn't the greatest thing in the world and well, I might be in transition to moving up the ranks at my job. How are we even going to afford a child? A kid costs a lot of money. Diapers, formula, clothes, dental care, health care..the list goes on and on. I close my eyes, feeling the pounding headache from earlier in the day return as I lean back and lay myself flat out on the cool concrete rooftop. The coolness of it feels good against my heated skin as I look up at the sky and try to imagine what our future is going to be like with a baby. Personally, I've always wanted a little girl. A little green eyed, brown haired little girl that I could name after my mother, Olivia. But, if the baby ends up being a boy. I'd love that too. I could teach him how to fish and play catch, I'd have a son to teach how to drive and how to respect a woman. He'd be a true Salvatore and carry on the family name. Imagining it all helps after a while because the more I lay here, with my head pressed against the concrete, the more I'm able to muster up the courage to walk back into our apartment and tell my fiance that I think I'm ready for this. That being a parent won't be so hard, just as long as we stick together.

Who am I kidding? I can't walk back in there now. She's still pissed off and 15 minutes of sitting out here won't change that. Although, I need to take the risk. I can't have Elena believing that she's in this alone. Carefully getting up, I make my way back into the apartment. I can hear her crying, sounding like she's zipping something up and moving around in our apartment fairly fast. Swallowing the lump in my throat as I get a clearly picture of what's going on, she looks up at me with watery eyes and tear stained checks, tugging on a suitcase and dragging it towards the front door. "If you don't want me anymore or this baby. You could have just said it, Stefan! You could have just fucking told me that you don't want to be a dad. Because, I can't-" Her voice cracks as I close the window behind me and her eyes on to mine.

"Elena, don't do this. Please, that isn't what I meant. My beautiful girl, just hear me out. Please." My voice is low, cautious. I watch her from a distance, wiping away her tears as she plops her tired body onto the couch, extending out her hand to me. Carefully taking her cold feeling fingers against my hand, I take a seat beside her. We're both silent when she rests her head upon my shoulder and then places her hands into my lap. I can hear the hurt in her voice as I pull her closer towards me. The half packed suitcase and her purse sit beside the door as I kiss the side of her face and run my fingers through her hair. "I'm scared. Okay? I am fucking terrified and when you told me about it. Elena, you scared the hell out of me."

Elena nods, whispering softly. "I know. Because, I'm scared too. I'm scared that I'm going to be like my mother. That I'll discipline our baby too much or that I won't be around too much..." Her voice trails off as she moves away from me for a second, still holding onto my hand tightly as she looks me in the eyes and adds in. "Stefan, I can't do this without you. I know that you're scared and I am too. But, doing this alone would be even scarier and I need you to stick with me on this. It wasn't planned, I know that. But, now we're going to need to figure things out. We're going to need to work together to figure out how to be parents before this baby shows up in our lives in nine months."

My thumb glides across her right hand as I move it across to her left, bringing up her hand to my lips. I kiss her engagement ring and pull her against my chest, allowing her head to rest in my lap. We're both quiet again, our minds filled with small hints of doubt and fear as she inhales while my fingers slip through strands of her dark brown hair. "If it's a girl, I want you to dress her up in tutu's and take her everywhere. I want to teach her all about life and when a boy breaks her heart, I want to kick his ass." Taking a sharp breath, I smile at the thought of our daughter and her dance recitals, having game nights and baking cookies together. Just as quickly, my mind thinks about how great it would be to have a son that has my eyes and the sound of his laughter filling the house as we race around making airplane noises just to annoy Elena in the early morning hours before school.

"No matter what happens, I promise that I'm never going to leave your side." I tell her, watching her eyes twinkle as she smirks a little with tears glazing over them. Elena nods as she leans forward, placing her nose against my own while she whispers. "As long as you'll be my husband. We'll figure everything else out together, because I couldn't imagine doing this without you and I don't ever want anyone else but you and me raising our baby."

-Damon-

"Oh, daddy love me good..Be my husband and I'll be your wife...Mhmmm." Bonnie sings out with a smirk, lifting her head up from the hood of our car as she turns her face to me with a small smile spreading across her lips. "I love you, Damon Salvatore!"

Laughing, I kiss her hands, laying on my back as the stars begin to shine in the sky. It's dark out, a few stadium lights are seen in the distance since I parked a few feet away from the football stadium. I couldn't picture a better moment. Just her and I, together.

"I love you too, baby." I comment softly, gripping her hands into mine as Bonnie sighs out a breath, turning to me. "I know that I scared you a lot over the last year and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry that we were in the building and that we got trapped. Damon-." My finger pressed against her lips make her stop as I lift myself up from the car and lean in to her. "It wasn't your fault, sweetheart. I'm just glad that I have you back with me, Bon. That's all that matters. I couldn't handle losing you, ever." I tell her, capturing her lips softly against mine as I feel her body press against me some more. Bonnie holds me tightly against herself as she whispers into my ear with a tone that's barely above a whisper. "I just want whoever did this to be behind bars already, I want to put the fire behind us for good and move on." She says as I stroke the back of her head with my hand, kissing her face while she hears me state. "I know, baby. So, do I and I promise that we're going to figure this out. Whoever caused the fire is probably long gone. But, I swear to god that if they set foot back into this town, they better think twice about it."

-Matt-

My shoulder pain is killing me as I lean against the shower wall in the locker rooms, inhaling through gritted teeth. I've been running low on pills and the doctors that I've been seeing have forbid me to take a higher dosage. So, my only other option is to live with the pain or do something that I probably shouldn't- look for better drugs. Wrapping the towel around my waistline I exit the showers and allow for the water to drip off of my hair, not caring that it's getting my clothing wet as I take a seat on the bench and begin to dress. I can hear Tyler walking in shortly after I've began pulling my t-shirt slowly over my head and yelping out in pain.

"You should really get that damn thing rechecked and take the day off, Donovan." He scolds, wiping his face with a white towel from the bathroom as he exhales heavily and sits beside me. I watch Tyler slip one of his boots off and then the other one before he places his face into his hands and looks down at the ground. "My wife is driving me insane today. We've barely had a moment alone together without her talking about this damn case. The fire this...The fire that...Hell, I might as well have her come work with us if she keeps it up. Could you imagine Caroline in one of our uniforms?" He chuckles as I a laugh a little too. The idea of Caroline Lockwood as a firefighter makes me smile as I think about how funny she'd be. Tyler talking on and on about her decreases the pain for a moment while I run my hand through my damp hair and then it suddenly hits me once more, harder than before.

Inhaling with agony in my tone, I tell Tyler that I'll take his advice and take the rest of the night and tomorrow morning off. "I should get some sleep." I comment softly, watching him nod at me while he notices me grab my bag before walking out.

"Hey! Matt, you forgot these." He says to me after a few minutes, just in time for to realize that the bottle of pills I had been prescribed had been left behind in the locker room with Tyler.

"Thanks man." I tell him, pivoting on my heels as I hear him tell me to take it easy before I head out the door. My mind is so focused on the pain as I walk towards my truck that I don't really notice them at first, the couple fighting in front of my eyes. He's yelling at her to get back into the restaurant that they've just left and she's not taking any of his shit. From a distance all I can see is her dark brown curly hair as she collides into me and we both hit the ground.

"Son of a bitch!" She utters out, getting up quickly and fixing her hair while she glances at her nails and huffs out an annoyed breath. "You broke my nail, asshole!" She exclaims, stepping back to stand near the guy that she had just been fighting with, seeming to have forgotten all about their little spat.

"Calm down, Katherine. I think the nice young..." He pauses, noticing my bag that's in my right hand before he adds in. "Firemen here, will apologize."

"Sorry." I tell them both with a head nod, turning to unlock my truck and inhaling sharply as they watch me nearly fall over in pain while placing my bag into the passenger side seat. "You alright mate?" He asks with a sly smile, patting me on the shoulder and squeezing down just a little. "Shoulder pain?" He questions, tilting his head to the side as I act as if nothing's wrong. Yet, everything is still so very clearly written all over my face.

I lean my back against the closed passenger side door, placing my hands into my pockets as he lets go of me and then examines me from a far. "You don't look so good." He observes, taking out something from his pocket and handing it to me as I glance down at the white card with black printed letters. "Klaus Mikaelson, M.D." I lick my bottom lip, giving him a perplexed look.

"You're a doctor?" He hears me ask as he begins telling me to have a nice day while he laughs a little before stating over his shoulder. "Not exactly. Well, not in the traditional sense. However, I'm sure that I could find you something for that shoulder pain of yours...Stronger medication, perhaps?"

I'm desperate and it probably shows as I nod my head quickly and tell him that I'd greatly appreciate some help in relieving my pain. "Great. Feel free to call me and I'll have you stop by my new place here in town. The girlfriend and I just moved here. New York sure is beautiful." He smiles, winking at me as he leans in and states in a quieter tone. "I'd love to get to know our neighbors. Starting with you." He tells me, turning away from me and leaving me standing near my truck with a small hint of hope about finally getting the relief I've been searching for. Maybe working with this Klaus guy won't be too bad and maybe he really will help me. "Sure is." I smile back, watching them start walking down the street as I glance down at his business card again and quietly thank god for allowing me to bump into him.

A/N: Things are about to get very interesting. ;)

-Until Next Time!-

Please feel free to leave me a review.


	36. Chapter Thirty-Six

A/N: Hey all! I'm kind of back to writing. I know it's been forever. Although, I hope you all are still reading my stories and thank you for those who have been patient with me. I truly do appreciate it.

Follow me for updates at: BePassionate_24

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty-Six

-Katherine-

"That was uncalled for!" I yell at him, walking back to the car and hearing Klaus puff out a breath, annoyed by my words.

"I'm making friends with some people, Katherine. What's so uncalled for about that?" He asks me, watching me tug on the door handle, shaking my head. I know where this is going to lead and I've been against it since we crossed into New York state lines.

"They're going to catch on to us." I hiss out, once in the car and in private with him. Klaus seems to be ignoring me though, starting the car without talking. He grumbles something under his breath before he grabs a hold of my hand and finally looks over to me. "Listen, we're going to make a plan so that we stay under the radar for a while. All I know is that we're sticking around for a bit in this big city. Besides, I like this place and I think our new firefighter friend with shoulder pain will provide us with an endless amount of interest and entertainment for the time being. He'll be the perfect puppet to our games. Because, he seems in desperate need of something. And," Exhaling deeply Klaus turns to me as he adds in. "When you're desperate like that, Katherine. Nothing good ever comes of it."

"What's the plan ? Wait, do you even have a plan, Klaus? You don't think that these people aren't going to put two and two together…" My voice trails off as I turn towards him, trying my hardest to not roll my eyes.

"You really don't think that they're not going to figure out that we set the fire that killed that old woman and that young kid? Honestly, Klaus. Being in this town is going to not turn out well for us." I comment as he laughs a little, staring out towards the road.

He inhales sharply, turning his head back to me as he states. "Katrina, shut up."

"Excuse me?" I scoff at him, glaring in his direction.

Klaus smirks a little, placing his hand onto my thigh. "Your excessive squawking about us getting caught has been driving me insane lately and to be honest, you aren't helping our cause." He stops for a moment, rolling down the window as he tosses his cigarette butt out the window and then grabs a hold of my hand tightly. I watch his mouth curl into a peculiar smile as he looks out towards the road. "Whatever happens, my love. I won't let anything separate us. I love you, Katherine." He reminds me, lifting my hand to his lips as he kisses my knuckles and then places it back down so that my hand rests against the armrest between us.

"Whatever happens." I remind myself softly, allowing my forehead to press against the cold glass window and feeling my body slowly losing consciousness as I fall asleep in the car, worry about our situation leaving me as the miles press on for us to find a new home before anyone begins suspecting us.

-Bonnie-

The warm sheets tangle against my legs in an attempt to push them away from me. My eyes slowly open as the sunlight shines in through the blinds and I glance over at Damon. He's asleep, peacefully. We made love last night, until the early morning hours and thinking back at it now, I personally think that I was the one who exhausted him.

His arm glides across my bare back, groaning loudly as he pulls me towards him again and presses his warm wet lips to the skin of my left shoulder. "Mmm, damn it." He mutters softly, inhaling my scent as he wrestles between staying awake and reentering the sweet slumber in which he had been in for the last two hours.

"I think you killed me last night, babe." He comments with a small smirk, his white pearly teeth grinding back and forth as I roll away from him, pulling the thin covers right along with me.

"Killed you, hmm?" I muse out, tugging the sheets with me while leaving Damon completely exposed.

"If you want me to kill you some more, I suggest you follow me into the shower, captain." I wink at him, turning around to loosen my grip against the sheets as he licks his bottom lip. Damon's eyes are on fire as he scrambles to his feet, taking a stand right behind me. I feel his arms pull me against his chest as he exhales heavily. "How did I get so lucky with you?" He questions as I lean my head back, grinning widely. I love him more than anything, this man that has given me so much.

"I ask myself that everyday when I'm with you." I comment, turning in his arms as I place both of my hands onto his stubble covered cheeks. "We're going to be okay, Damon." I comment softly, placing my hand against his chest as he smiles a little. I can see the fear within his eyes. I'm not really sure what he's so afraid of. Maybe it's this huge step we're taking? It's got to be it. Committing ourselves to one another fully. Becoming husband and wife is a really scary thing. Although, I know that I wouldn't want anyone other than him by my side. Thinking about our future makes me smile.

"Have you thought about it?" Damon suddenly asks breaking a bit of the silence between us as I glance over at him, releasing his hold of his arms around my body.

"Thought about what?" He hears me ask as he smirks devilishly.

"All the sex we're going to be having once we're Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore." He tells me, trying his hardest to say it with a straight face as my eyes widen and I pick up my shirt from the floor, tossing it at him.

"That's all you can think about?" I laugh out, allowing the sheet against my skin to slip off a bit and expose more of my naked body.

"Well," He licks his bottom lip, smiling even wider. "Not completely. But, it's been crossing my mind more and more lately. I just love the way your skin feels under my hands, I love the way you breathlessly say my name in the heat of passion." He grins as he sits back onto the messy bed while he glances around the room for his pants. "I just want to spend the rest of my life loving you in every single way possible, Bonnie." He tells me as I laugh, turning back towards him as he watches me take a few steps back to the bed and towards him. I'm smiling just as widely as he is. I can't help it. I love the way his hands hold me too. I love every single thing about him. About us.

"And we will. Damon, we're going to eventually be married and spending nearly every single waking moment together." Turning around to place my hands against his cheeks, I see the playfulness in his eyes disappear as I lean in and comment with a soft tone. "Be patient with me, Damon. Even though it's been a while since the fire happened. I still need some more time."

I can hear him swallowing down his doubts as he holds me against his chest and whispers into my hair. "I promised you many times over that I am never going to leave your side, Bonnie. So, no matter how much time you need before you're ready to be my wife. That's okay, take all the time you need. I'd wait forever for you." He says, gently running his fingers over my burn scars. The ones that leave me exposed and vulnerable. The ones that make me hate myself for being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

-Elena-

"Tyler? It's Elena. You're going to want to come over as soon as you can." I tell him over the phone as he laughs a little. "If it's Stefan, I noticed how weird he was acting today. Elena, what's going on?" He asks as I tell him that he'll find out when he comes over to the apartment. Naturally when Stefan and I had gotten home from another ultrasound and finding out that I'm now exactly 16 weeks into my pregnancy. I thought he would be thrilled. Needless to say, I was totally wrong! To be honest, since we'd gotten back from it. He hasn't said a word to me, not one damn thing! So, that's why I called Tyler over. To see if he could help me snap my damn fiance out of his trance. I shrug my shoulders back, leaning my side into the doorway as I watch Stefan sitting on the couch with a beer in his left hand and a photo album in the other. "He hasn't said a word to me since earlier today at the firehouse. I'm starting to get worried."

"Is he in shock or something?" Tyler asks, snapping his fingers in front of his best friend's face. Stefan blinks his eyelashes for a moment, leaning back when Tyler places his hand against his shoulder. Yet, he says absolutely nothing.

"What the fucking hell is wrong with you man!" He shouts, looking up at me briefly, noticing that I've got my hands resting against my stomach.

The look on Tyler's face, once he puts the pieces together is priceless. It's like a wild animal in the forest who is scared and yet curious, slowly making eye contact with a human being because it's not really sure of what else to do. "Wait a minute..." He stops, pointing to me and then looking a little more closely at the way my hands are resting against my stomach. His eyes dart from me and then to Stefan and the photo album in his hands, the one covering up the ultrasound picture from today.

"Does this have anything to do with what happened a few weeks ago at the station?" Tyler asks me as I smile a little, remembering the moment while nodding at him…

"Baby..What are you doing here?" Stefan had asked me, wiping away my tears with his thumbs as I smiled at him, nuzzling my head into the curve of his neck. I had been softly giggling against his black t-shirt, the straps of his fire uniform were around his waistline. Stefan watched me closely as I pulled on them and pressed my body against his some more. Our lips touched before I could even respond to his question. The kiss was sweet and short, yet just what I had needed from him.

"I missed you and I have a surprise for you." I commented while pulling back, kissing him once more. He watched as I stepped away from him and held out his hands, knuckles closed while he smiled widely, noticing the unshed tears in my eyes as I spoke. "Pick one. Or both."

"What are you doing...Does this have anything to do with the, you know...baby?" He questioned with a small whisper, hearing as I giggled while pushing his shoulder a bit with my fist.

" Oh come on. Just, play along.." I told Stefan with a sweet tone while I smirked at him.

"Fine..I pick both." He said, grinning as I sniffled and then unclenched my fists, revealing a pink ribbon in one hand and a blue ribbon in the other.

"Are you serious right now?" He asked me in disbelief, watching my face redden as I grinned. A gleeful smile on the faces around us when I loudly stated. "Stefan. Baby, all those tests later and here we are. Thedoctor was right. I'm pregnant and he thinks that it's twins.I know it's still early and all that. So, I don't know if we're having a boy or girl yet. But, I'm secretly hoping for both."

"You really are having a baby, aren't you?" Tyler asks, smiling at me while I nod my head, tears brimming around my eyelids. "Yeah," I speak out softly, closing my eyes as I hear Tyler nearly knocking over our lamp in the small apartment living room to get to me.

"That is wonderful news! Congratulations, Elena." He says, wrapping me in his embrace as I lean into him and sob against his shoulder. Tyler doesn't question it, he instead whispers how much everyone is going to help with the baby. I think that's the moment I lose it, the moment I break as he watches me push back from him. We're both still as he looks me over, wiping away the tears against my heated cheeks.

"It's going to be okay, Elena. Everyone is going to love this baby. No matter what the gender is. And, once your soon to be husband snaps out of whatever shock he's in. He's going to be everything you need, we both know that..." His voice trails off as I take his hands and clasp them against mine.

"I know it will, Tyler. I know. But, there is something else," Pausing as I inhale deeply before I confess the reason that Stefan's been suddenly distant and so comatose like. Tyler's brows furrow as he tilts his head to the side when I admit in a low voice that's just above a whisper. "You know what? How about we work on getting Stefan back to normal and maybe he can tell you himself what he found out today. Believe me, Tyler. You're going to want to stick around for this one."

"Does it have anything to do with why you came to the fire house all those weeks ago that one morning crying all over Stefan before your appointment?" He asks me as I purse my lips together, leaning into him as I state. "Let's just say that you and Damon's bets in that poker game were not so far off. Because, the doctor confirmed it. Stefan and I are having twins, Tyler. We're going to be parents to two babies. Not just one."

A/N: Ugh, Stefan and Elena are going to be perfect parents. :')

Please leave me a review. I love hearing from you all! Thanks so much for reading & until next time!


	37. Chapter Thirty-Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. Part 1 of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless new firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon,Klaus&Katherine)

A/N: Hey all! Hope you all enjoy this little update. I promise that the next one will be longer. :)

Follow me on twitter for updates at: BePassionate_24

Thanks for reading!

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty-Seven

-Caroline-

"I'm not envious of her." I comment, glancing over at Tyler from the corner of my eye as he tilts his head to the side and leans over to place a hand on to my shoulder.

"It's okay if you are a little bit, Caroline. They're having twins. Not sure of the genders, yet. But, they're having twins." He tells me as try my hardest to not roll my eyes.

Stop being so damn selfish and be happy for them! Happy for Stefan and Elena- Your friends! My mind screams at me as I close my eyes and try to calm myself down.

"I'm not jealous. I'm happy for them." He hears me say as I get up from my seat on the couch and walk over to a box that I had been holding in storage for the last year now.

"I guess he can use these..." My voice cracks as Tyler watches me carefully unbox the baby clothes that I thought he and I would be using for our own children. Yet, that obviously hasn't happened, at all. Who knows if it ever will? My heart breaks a little as I take a seat back down and run my fingers over the soft plush pink fabric in front of my eyes. "I wish it could have worked out for us."

I can feel the cushion beside me sink in a little as Tyler sits down beside me and takes the blanket away from me, pulling me close as he kisses the top of my head. Being in arms makes me break down. I don't know why it is exactly. Maybe I am a little jealous of Elena and Stefan for getting something so easily that Tyler and I have fought for to have and yet we still don't. "I want a baby..." My soft broken toned voice trails off as he nods his head, kissing my damp cheek. "I know, sweetie. I know." He says, not mentioning that we'd try for one anymore because maybe he's not even sure if we could succeed in that.

"Maybe we can try another fertility clinic or something." He suddenly tells me, watching my head lift up from his shoulder as I attempt to wipe away the water droplets from my tears against his navy blue t-shirt.

"You know that it won't work, Tyler. We've tried that and it has yet to get us anywhere." I argue with him as he wipes away my tears with the tips of his thumbs, trying to reassure me that maybe this time around it could work for us.

"We need to try at least one more time, Caroline. Because, I want us to have a family too. Baby, I want to give you everything you've ever wanted. Don't you remember that I promised you that years ago?" I'm crying even harder now, allowing the tears to escape into my mouth as I nod my head and agree with him. He had made me that promise and he had said that he'd do everything in his power to never break it.

"Always a man of his word." I comment tearfully, feeling him wrap his arms around me once again as he pulls me into his lap and whispers against my hair. "I'd do anything for you, Caroline. Don't you ever forget that. I love you, my sweet beautiful girl and I am never giving up on us." Laying my head against his shoulder, I allow my husband to hold me. I allow all of my sorrows and worries to be washed away by the way he holds me in his arms and then I quietly pray for a miracle. I pray for Stefan and Elena and for Tyler and I. I pray that maybe this time around things will be different for us. Maybe one day we'll get to become amazing parents as I already know Stefan and Elena will be.

Stefan

"All I was saying was that if it's a girl-." I cut her words off with a quick kiss as I remember that I need to go outside and feed the meter some more change.

Elena and some of the moms to be at the birthing class watch me get up as my eyes only focus back on her when she whispers softly into my ear before I stand up straight fully. "Bring your fine little ass back here. I'm clearly making all these hot housewives jealous with my very handsome and very muscular fiance." She winks, slapping my butt to prove her point as the instructor clears her throat and tells everyone in the room that they'll now be watching a few videos on what to expect on the day of delivery at the hospital. I turn back towards everyone for a moment, stopping near the door to glance over at Elena who seems content and the happiest I've ever seen her in a long time. I'm smiling foolishly while walking back to the car and digging out some change from my pockets. I don't notice anyone around at first and so when she hands me back the nickle I had dropped without knowing it, I'm taken back a bit.

Her hair is covered by a scarf because it's particularly cold out tonight and I can see her breath turn into fog in front of us as she extends out her hand and gives me back the nickle. "Sorry to have scared you." She smiles, locking her eyes on to me as I smile back, glancing down at her stomach and noticing that she's pregnant as well.

"Are you coming out of the birthing class?" She asks me, her dark brown eyes looking me over as I laugh a little. "Yeah, my fiancee and I are in there together. You know, it hasn't really started yet. Where you planning on going in?" I ask her, noticing a few strands of her dark brown hair slipping out from her scarf that she's covered herself in underneath the thick brown jacket that she's wearing. "No," She pauses, licking her lips.

"I was actually on my way to the grocery store down the street. A little craving for some chocolate." She tells me, placing her hand on to her small baby bump. She appears to be around only a few months pregnant as she walks past me.

"Well, I hope you have fun in there." She tells me over her shoulder as I notice her accidentally drop a piece of paper on the ground and I bend down to pick it up.

Watching her leave, I look down at it and notice that it appears to be an invitation to some party in town. "Ma'am. You forgot this." Smiling and thankful, she grabs the paper from me and extends out her hand. "Thanks." She says, glancing away and back at the grocery store.

"My name's Katherine." She suddenly blurts out as I smile back at her and shake her hand. "My name's Stefan. It's nice to meet you."

Katherine rings her fingers together nervously as she takes a few steps away from me and says in a soft tone. "It was nice meeting you. But, I should really get going before the store closes. I hope you and your fiancee have fun in the class." She tells me, leaving without another word as I stare at her backside.

"Katherine!" I shout out at her as she turns back around, smiling.

"What?" She asks, crossing her arms over each other.

"Good luck to you too." I comment in a nonchalant tone. Knowing that I'll never see her again. However, making a stranger's night seems the right thing to do tonight as I walk back into the building, wiping my boots near the door.

"Where were you?" Elena asks me, sounding a little angry that I'd missed half of the class and that it's almost over.

She watches me shrug my shoulders back, as if it isn't that big of a deal and just part of my normal Friday night routine. "Helping a stranger out." I reply to her, taking a seat back behind her as I pull her closer and I rest my hands on to her growing belly. "So, what did I miss?" She hears me ask as I watch her rolls her eyes a little. Still clearly irritated with me.

Laughing, she leans her head on to my shoulder, exhaling deeply. "I know that you'd rather be watching a football game or something. Maybe going out for beers with the guys. But, thank you for staying with me." She says in a low voice, unsure of my reaction to her words.

I tighten my grasp around her as she smiles and I tell her without a second thought. "I'm in this for the long haul, Elena. We're going to do this together. Every step of it. I promise, we're going to raise them together as a family. Besides, I love you and I couldn't imagine being anywhere else right now than here with you and our babies. I can't wait to spend forever with you, my beautiful girl."

A/N: So, I'm thinking of doing another big time jump to where Elena is six months pregnant with the twins or something like that? What do you all think?


	38. Chapter 38

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. Part 1 of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless new firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon,Klaus&Katherine)

A/N: Hey all! I am so sorry that I've pretty much fallen off the face of the earth. I hope that I still have readers left out there? Anyways, I'm back! And, hopefully this update will makeup for it. :) As I had mentioned before this update has a bit of a time jump...6 MONTHS...

Enjoy!

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty-Eight

6 months later….

-Klaus-

"I think that we've established ourselves quite well in this big town, don't you?" I ask her, leaning into Katherine's ear as she places the palm of hand on to my cheek and smirks. We've been integrating ourselves into their lives fairly well and actually it seems as if some of them have slowly started to consider us friends. Maybe it helps that Katherine's been pretending to be a sweet young pregnant girl to get closer to Stefan Salvatore…Hm, I'm starting to think it's been pretty helpful since she's been seeing them a lot at their monthly baby birthing classes.

"I'd agree." Katherine comments, slipping off the towel that she's got around her body. I watch it drop to her feet as she tilts her head to the side, taking in the sinful look within my eyes. "You're acting like a hungry dog. Is that saliva coming out of your mouth?" I hear her ask in a teasing tone as she shakes her head and walks over to me. The glistening water droplets glide off of her olive colored skin as she takes slow and steady steps towards me. Her brown eyes are filled with a need and desire I've never seen before in my life. She carefully watches me extend out my hand, running it over her flat stomach, admiring her warm and floral scented flesh. "Mhmm" I groan, leaning back against the edge of the mattress, I press my body firmly upon it, my eyes hungry for more as Katherine climbs on top of me and straddles my lap. She's naked, in all of her glory and beauty- I take her in. I don't think I've ever seen anyone as beautiful and glamorous as her in front of me. She doesn't give a damn that with just one glance of her dark brown eyes or one touch from her soft and warm fingertips, she could take me down.

"So," Katherine begins to say, running her left hand over my cheek and smirking as she glides her fingertips into my hair, massaging my scalp while my eyes flutter shut. I've surrendered to her. I'm puddy in her hands and all I want is to be with her. Body, mind and soul.

"What do you want to do?" She smiles, my eyes close as I grind my teeth back and inhale sharply. God damn it, woman! My mind races with the idea of her pined up against a wall, moaning out my name until her legs become numb and can't hold her against me any longer. "You." Katherine hears me whisper, gripping on to her hips with my cool feeling hands as my fingers press into her skin and she kisses my lips with the most intense passion that I've ever felt. "Good." She replies, pulling away before she pulls me back under her spell once again with just a flick of her fingers underneath my chin.

My hands run through her hair as I admire her figure, the twinkling of her dark brown eyes. I want to marry her, I want to spend the rest of my life pleasing and loving Katherine Pierce. Yet, there's something that suddenly makes my stomach drop when she looks at me as she kisses my shoulder while continuing to unbutton my shirt.

"Do you want kids?" She asks suddenly, causing the romantic feeling between us to fizzle out a little as I look up at her with bewilderment in my eyes. "What did you just ask me?"

She smiles, running her hand over a scar on my right shoulder, tossing her hair back behind her shoulder as she rests her head against my skin, I can hear Katherine exhale when she asks again with a clearly tone. "Klaus, do you ever want children?"

I don't really know how to answer that. We hadn't really talked about it. Yet, I know that lately Katherine's been fantasizing about a future together that's involved children. It's soul crushing in the way I shrug my shoulders and I hear her say, "The doctors said that it would be impossible for me to ever have my own. That I'd most likely give birth to a stillborn or just have a lot of miscarriages. Ugh, I couldn't imagine what that would do to a marriage or a woman's body. But, I don't really care. I'd still want my own kids." She states firmly as I touch her cheek and nod my head. "Maybe one day, we could adopt or something." I tell her nonchalantly, partly lying as I glide my hands across her skin once more, attempting to distract her and get her back into the hot and heavy mood that she had created just a half hour before.

-Elena-

"Why do creamy and crispy donuts have holes in the middle of them, Damon?" I comment with a silly face, hearing him laugh out louder than he should have, walking past me from inside of the kitchen.

"What now?" He asks, running his hands through his hair as he watches me roll over to my side. I'm on the floor of the apartment because the heartburn I've been feeling has been killing me and I'm pretty damn sure that the two babies are using my bladder as a punching bag. God, I have to pee so much and I want donuts. Big, fat and fluffy donuts!

"You've been dreaming about donuts again?" He asks, taking a seat beside me on the floor while I watch him take a pillow from the couch and lay down beside me on the cold feeling floor. My soon to be brother in law is probably one of the kindest souls I've ever met. The man has been babysitting me over the last three days since Stefan's been away at a work training and I've been missing him terribly.

"Yes, unfortunately and I am starving! Like, Damon…What if these babies come out of me being sugar monsters?" Damon shakes his head, laughing into the pillow as he glances up at the ceiling while repeating. "Sugar monsters, Elena?"

I nod. I'm sleep deprived because I can't sleep without Stefan being in the same bed as me lately and the babies are overly active at night. Being six months' pregnant kind of sucks at the moment!

"Have you thought of names yet or are you going to just name them baby number 1 and baby number 2?" He asks me, glancing over at my face. My eyes are nearly closing as I place my hand on top of my stomach and rub my belly. Stefan and I had talked about names, however, we'd talked about it only very vaguely.

"Samuel Alexander and Olivia Marie Salvatore" I'm smiling from ear to ear because it's the first time that I've ever said their names out loud. Stefan and I had played around with the names for a few months now and just the other night, I finalized it. Personally, Stefan doesn't even know which names I've chosen yet and I can't wait to tell him!

"Olivia. After our mother?" Damon asks sweetly, a glistening of sadness appearing in his dark blue eyes as he gets up off the floor and bends down towards me, extending out his arms to help me up as I nod my head. "I really love that you picked those names and I think that Stefan will love them too. It's perfect, Elena." He comments, helping me slowly up off the floor as I rest my hand onto his shoulder and he smiles up at me. "My brother is a very lucky man to have you in his life." Damon says to me with a sincere tone, placing his hands on to my overly round pregnant belly.

Pivoting away from me, Damon heads towards the front door of the apartment, telling me that he'll be back in the morning to check up on me before he leaves for work. My voice stops him though as I place my hands onto my hips and tilt my head to the side. "I don't need a babysitter, Damon Salvatore."

He laughs, chuckling loudly and whispering under his breath that he knows I'd be resistant to this whole idea of him coming over so frequently. "Well, you might not need one. But, you've got one. You tripped over your own shoes last week, Elena and you fell down some stairs. This damn apartment isn't safe to be in anymore, especially in your condition."

"My condition? I'm pregnant with twins, Damon. I'm not sick! So, what? It's not like we can move out right away. That requires breaking our lease early and that crap is expensive." He hears me state in a stubborn tone as he looks up at me, rolling his eyes. "Stefan has a better plan. He's got me looking into a house near the station. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms. It's on a small plot of land. But, it would be a perfect starter home for you, my brother and my future niece and nephew." He winks, smirking a little as I raise my eyebrows at him.

" But, Stefan and I haven't talked about moving yet." Damon takes a step towards me, glancing around the apartment that's suddenly feeling way smaller than it had been a few months ago.

"Well, you should. Really, you two need a house now. Besides, Stefan's already a few steps ahead of things." I watch him turn back towards the door, kicking a pair of my shoes out of the way. Damon stops, his hand's on the door handle as he shrugs his shoulders a little, looking back at me. "Speaking of your soon to be husband. He's already made an offer on the house and they accepted it this morning. So, I guess you don't really have a choice now. Since you'll be moving into it in a few weeks. If you ask me, it will be the perfect new location for the baby shower that Bonnie and Caroline will be throwing you next month."

"What? He made an offer without telling me? And what are you talking about with this baby shower business?" I ask him, a bit confused about that as well. Why in the hell is everyone doing all these surprise things behind my back lately?

He smiles, opening the door and adding off with a grin as he states. "Yes, a baby shower. Because, that's usually what happens when someone is about to have a child. You'll get a lot of free stuff and don't worry, no one has even thought about inviting your mother, Miranda. However," He pauses, licking his lips before he asks. "Don't you have an aunt named Jenna who lives a few hours away in Washington, D.C.?"

"Aunt Jenna? My mom's younger sister, Damon, please tell me that you didn't invite her! I haven't spoken to her in years. She probably doesn't even remember me…My brother and I were just kids when she last saw us…Damon…" My voice trails off as Damon shrugs his shoulders back and right before he closes the door, I hear him state. "Well, I kind of found out her contact information and Bonnie invited her. Oh and to ease your fears, let me tell you, she can't wait to see you again. It's going to be a great family reunion and I can't wait for it. Look, I'll be in touch. Call me if you need anything!"

-Tyler-

The doctor told us that if we tried getting pregnant again that Caroline could die. He also said that these last few treatments could be our last and over the last few months, watching Stefan and Elena prepare for the births of their children made something inside of me snap, especially tonight. I wanted my wife and I to be happy and live the rest of our lives out on my parent's family owned property with two or three of our own children- not someone else's. Look, I have nothing against adopting, I had always told Caroline and myself that adoption would be our very last resort. However, after she had seen a positive line on one of the many pregnancy tests that she'd taken over the span of a few months, we were finally hopeful that this time we both would finally get what we always wanted. A family. Our very own children. Yet, life always has other plans and like always, it never waits for anyone.

She's been sitting on the bathroom floor for the last two hours, crying inconsolably and I can't fix it. I can't help her this time around, I can't piece this back together because I feel like such a failure as a husband. "Tyler, look at me!" Caroline pleads, she's got tears welling up in her beautiful eyes as she shakes her head, crying even harder. We lost another baby late this morning, she miscarried for the fourth time today and I don't think either of us will ever be the same after this.

"It's not my fault, Tyler. Please, just look at me." I watch my wife's defeated and slumped over body readjust as she slides deeper down against the wall while she clutches the white cotton towel covered in her own blood around her legs. I can't even look at her right now because all I see is heartbreak and pain, a lose so big this time that I don't think we can recover from it.

"I know, it's not your fault. It never has been. Hell, maybe it's my fault. Pushing you into this, wanting a family with you so badly that it's destroying you inside and out. Damn it, Caroline I am so sorry." My voice cracks as I suddenly blurt out without thinking it through. "I can't do this anymore." I can't fucking look at the heartbreaking facial expression on her face. I'm angry. Not with her though, but with this situation, with this hurt that we've been feeling over the last few months, it's tearing us apart.

"You, can't do what anymore?" She asks, her chin is trembling as she slowly lifts herself up from off the bathroom floor and she looks past me. I had packed a bag a while ago, selfishly waiting for this very moment to happen. Part of me has craved it to happen, dreamed about what it would do to us if one of us just gave up already.

I'm a coward. A lousy excuse of a man, leaving my wife in her most critical time of need. But, I can't do this anymore. The treatment clinics, the false hope and holding her as she cries herself to sleep, blaming no else but herself for everything that's occurred.

"I can't be in this house anymore, Caroline. I can't be with you anymore." I comment, feeling like the biggest selfish asshole in the planet when I tell her what's been on my mind for a while.

"This hurts me. Seeing you heartbroken and clinging on to false hope, time and time again. Baby, I can't watch you break your own heart anymore." I tell her, hearing her sob ever harder as she covers her mouth with her hands and the wailing cries escape past her lips.

"Please, don't leave me. Tyler, I need you! Ty-." She starts to say as I walk over to her slowly and cautiously, watching the dark brown mascara that she had been wearing smear across her cheeks as I wrap her into my embrace. She doesn't fight me. Instead, my wife collapses against my body and clings onto my shoulders as she shouts out. "Tyler, I love you. Please, don't leave me. I need you. I need you!" She sobs into my shirt as I kick myself for whispering out the words that neither of us want to hear. But, I need to say them. I need for both of us to hear the truth out loud, the end of our misery. I need this to end. "I love you so much, Caroline. But, I can't do this anymore. I can't stand by and watch the one dream you've always wanted keep slipping through your fingers and me, not being able to do anything about it. That's why I think it's best if we go our separate ways for a while. I'm not saying a divorce. I'm just saying that I think it would be best for both of us if we were separated for a little bit."

I can feel her arms loosely from around my neck as she asks. "How long?"

I kiss her face, whispering into her hair as I kiss the top of her head too. "I don't know. As long as it takes to heal from this, Caroline. A few months, maybe a year or so. As long as it takes for us to feel whole again."

A/N: Thoughts? Please leave me a review! :)

Follow me on twitter for updates BePassionate_24


	39. Chapter 39

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. Part 1 of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless new firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon,Klaus&Katherine)

A/N: Hey all! Hope you like this update!

thanks so much for reading & enjoy! :)

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Thirty- Nine

-Caroline-

It's been two days since Tyler left me and ended up staying at Matt's apartment, a few hours away from Manhattan. I think that he's actually been training and working with Stefan who still isn't back yet. I don't really know why I ended up here, on Stefan and Elena's bedroom floor with a bottle of bourbon in my hands and my best friend and her soon to be brother in law fighting over baby shower details, her aunt coming to visit and these stupid donuts on the upper east side that really sound amazing, not to mention something about Bonnie and Damon getting married!

"Caroline! Will you attempt to rationalize with her! She's driving me crazy. She wants me to go all the way across town for these damn donuts that are only made at this one specific shop on the upper east side and the last time I checked, it's midnight. Is she crazy or just hormonal?" Damon asks me, whispering the last few words as I laugh and turn my head towards him, trying to muffle my laugh when I see my best friend laying upside down, her back on the floor and her legs up in the air. I must have been too drunk to notice it. But, Elena's had her body partly laying on her and Stefan's queen sized for a while and my drunken ass just barged into the room, thinking that I could find a quiet place to think about my failed marriage.

"What in the hell are you doing?" I ask with a smile, finally pulling myself up and taking a seat on their bed as Elena hits the floor with her hands and the bed with her feet as she says. " I'm sitting here and trying to not kill, Damon...He's lucky I'm pregnant...Because, If I wasn't- I'd kick his ass for not giving me what I want. So, stay awhile, Caroline. I could use some real company. I'm missing Stefan terribly since he's gone to work these last few days and put 'house arrest, Damon' in charge of his pregnant fiancé!" I hear her pause as I sit down beside her, placing my hand over her round and very pronounced growing stomach. I'm thankful for her and Damon over the last two days, they've helped get my mind off of my problems with Tyler and somehow the three of us, including Bonnie, have all found refuge in Stefan and Elena's apartment.

"I'm getting fat...By the minute...I mean, Stefan didn't flat out it say it a week ago when he saw me last. But, when I pulled his sweat shirt over my stomach, he just kind of looked at me like...'Damn that looked hotter on you when you weren't as big as free willy, that cute little whale!" Elena suddenly starts to sob as she sniffles and exhales, glancing to the side while Damon takes a step inside of the bedroom.

"I thought you went to go make yourself busy...Don't you have fires to fight, Damon?" She snaps at him as he leans against the door frame and starts whistling.

"Nope, I have nothing to do except bother the hell out of you and hangout with you and blondie for hours. Well, more like hang out with the four of you for a few hours." He states with a smile, gesturing to Elena's stomach.

"Seriously Damon, I want those donuts that you promised me! Big, greasy, juicy, fluffy and melt in your mouth, donuts and if I don't get them. I'm going to tell your brother!" Elena says in a flat tone. Damon's laughing echoes throughout the room as he states. "Come on, blondie. We're going to call Bonnie to switch roles with our little pregnant prisoner and you and I are going to go across town for these donuts that Elena wants, before she rips our heads off!"

"Me? Why me?" I hear myself asking him, lifting my body up slowly from back off of the bed as Damon grins and glances over at us both when he says. "Because, if I don't get the ones she wants, at least two of us will be in the dog house and you can keep me company in there. Now, let me call my soon to be wife and we're going to go. As soon as we can. Also, you can tell me all about your husband drama. Maybe, I can help!"

I watch her try to struggle and get up, stepping towards her and trying to help her up. But, Elena swats my hands way. "I'm pregnant. I'm not a prisoner and I'm not an invalid! Now, I'm coming with you two, since I can't stand being alone and if Bonnie comes over here while he's gone, all she's going to talk about is you, Damon. And, to be honest. I love her so much. But, she talks about you way too and then she gets all sappy and once she does that, I want to kick her out of the house. So, I'm coming with you!"

"Oh, the hell you are! I said blondie and I, not- Blondie, Elena and myself- Now, Caroline and I are going to go and I am going to call over my soon to be wife to watch over you and so that you can help her with the finished plans for our wedding that's happening in less than two weeks."

"Your wedding is in less than two weeks?" Elena spits out, sounding shocked.

Damon smirks, fixing his black t-shirt as he nods. He looks like he can't believe it either. "Yeah, in two weeks, I will be marrying Bonnie Bennett. Can't believe she's going to be a part of this insane family." He says with a laugh, spinning the car keys around his index finger as he waves me over. "Come on drunkie, let's go get her some donuts!" I giggle, walking over to Damon as he tells Elena that he'll close the door behind us and that we'll be back soon.

-Damon-

"So, what's exactly going on between you and Tyler?" I ask her the minute the passenger side door closes and I start the car, watching Caroline fidget in her seat while she's looking out the window as we start to drive down the road. The silence is killing me and the interest in what's really going on between them is bothering me even more. That's one of the main reasons I had her come with me, so that she could explain as much as she wanted too. I want Caroline to vent to me, like she used to do many years ago.

"We're friends, Caroline. We have been for years. Now, I know that you and Tyler are pretty private about the things you two go through within your relationship and I respect that. But, I can tell that something isn't right, something is off." I tell her, gripping the steering wheel lightly as she inhales deeply, wiping about the invisible tears from her cheeks.

"He left me, Damon." Caroline's happy tone from before vanishes as she heaves out a breath and she chokes out. "He left me and this time, I don't think we can fix this." I swallow down the rest of my words as I grab a hold of her hand, intertwining our fingers together, I kiss her hand while I continue driving and speak without making any eye contact. I let Caroline cry without telling her to stop or to not do so. I allow her to wallow as she sits silently and I talk quietly during nearly half of the car ride. "This isn't permeant, Caroline. You know that you two are meant to be together and honestly, maybe you guys just need some space apart for now. Tyler wouldn't ever not want to fix this. It's just that he's hurting and so are you. So, I promise that things will get better and you'll see, in two weeks, by the time that Bonnie and I tie the knot. You'll both be all over each other again and things will be back to normal." I tell her, trying to give her some hope and cheer her up a bit.

She nods, letting go of my hand as she whispers softly. "I hope so. I love him so much, Damon and being without him during these last few days has been killing me. I know that he's hurting and how much he wants a family with me. I know that. Although, I feel like the other day when he just walked out that he was giving up on me. You know, how that made me feel?"

"Miserable." I comment as she nods her head and leans it against the cold foggy car window. I peel my eyes away from her as I stare straight ahead at the road. My mind's reeling with thoughts while I keep us on track to get Elena what she needs. But, I can't help and think about it. The jitters and worries I have about marrying Bonnie. I love her with my whole heart. However, what keeps me up most nights and worries me the most is the fact that maybe one day we'll hit a wall in our marriage and maybe we won't make it. Shaking the doubts from my head, I try to tell myself that it's nonsense talk. Bonnie and I not making it work? Ha! That is totally absurd. We'll always make it work, even if things are all crumbling around us, somehow I'll make sure that her and I are together no matter what.

-Elena-

Days and weeks all go by so slowly when you don't have much else going for you. Thankfully, helping Bonnie with planning the finishing touches on her wedding helped keep me sane while Stefan was away and now, two weeks later. I'm anxiously waiting for tomorrow when Bonnie and Damon stand across from one another and tell each other how much they love one another, how they can't and won't ever live without each other.

"It's 5:30 in the morning, sweetheart. Come back to bed." Stefan emerges from the bedroom; his shirt is off as he stuffs his hands into the pockets of his black sweatpants. Ugh, I've missed him so much with his sleepy eyes and messy hair, the raspy sound in his voice as he says my name to get my attention.

"Can't sleep." I comment softly, looking out at the city down below as I sit on the balcony. I hear him pull up a chair as he takes one of the blankets from inside and places it around my shoulders. "Elena, are you okay?" I hear him ask. I must be deep in thought, because all I do is nod my head. I seem to be fine lately and then out of nowhere, I start to think about stupid things, like what if one of the babies doesn't make it? What if Stefan and I aren't ready for this, even if we think that we are?

"You know," He pauses, leaning over and taking my left hand into his own. I can feel his fingertips run over my engagement ring as he clasps our hands together and he keeps softly talking. "Being away from you is the hardest part of my job. Honestly, I hate these long extended training weeks and work conferences on field safety. While I was away all I kept thinking about was coming home to you and our soon to be little family…" His voice trails off as I hear what sounds like a set of keys and I turn to notice that he's placed them into my hands, closing my fingers shut over the coolness of them.

"What's this?" I ask him as he grins.

"The keys to our new house. We're moving into it after the wedding and before the baby shower." He tells me as I stare at him blankly.

"We got the house?" I ask as Stefan nods, a stupid goofy smile still plastered across his lips.

"Yea, we got the house. I'm planning on taking you out there to look at it after the wedding. Elena," He pauses, still holding on to my hand as I glance down at the keys, still a bit surprised that he made the choice without me. I haven't even seen the place yet. It could be a total hole in the wall and he already made an offer! So much for being in this together!

"You're the only person that I want to grow old with, Elena and if you're worried about our kids-." I cut him off, getting a little annoyed that he keeps saying our kids. However, I quickly remember that I haven't mentioned the final name results.

"Sam and Olivia." I correct him, hearing as he laughs and notice when he smiles the biggest foolish grin that I've ever soon.

"If you're worried about Sam and Olivia not being okay. I think that everything is going to turn out better than you think." He tells me as I turn to look at him, our eyes meeting as I sigh out a breath. "I know." I comment, trying to shift my thoughts to be a bit more positive. Clearing my throat, I change the subject. "So, is Damon a total bundle of nerves about tomorrow?"

Stefan laughs, still holding on to my hand as he shakes his head. "He threw up in my truck this morning on the way to work just talking about the wedding."

My eyebrows lift. "That is disgusting! What's he worried about? That Bonnie's going to be a runaway bride? Because, believe me. That is not going to happen!"

Stefan shrugs his shoulders back, smiling at me. "I think he's worried that he's going to forget his vows and embarrass himself."

"I highly doubt that's going to happen." I reply, thinking about Bonnie and Damon on their last night as a bachelor and bachelorette. "Well, let's just hope that they've been able to keep their hands off of each other since you know, tradition says that Bonnie shouldn't be anywhere near Damon on their last night before the wedding." I laugh out, hearing Stefan do the same as he inhales deeply before he says. "Those two certainly have never followed any sort of traditions. So, why would they start now?"

-Bonnie-

The sheets fall away down on to the ground as he tangles his body against mine, making my goosebumps creep up once again. The streetlights shine through our bedroom windows as Damon pulls me closer, breathing heavily. "I can't wait to be your husband, forever and always." He whispers in a raspy tone, sounding exhausted.

I kiss his lips, run my hands through his messy hair, smiling at him. I can't wait to call him mine forever. The sound of 'Mrs. Bonnie Salvatore' runs through my mind as Damon pulls the bed sheet over our naked bodies and I relax into him, I feel his legs tighten around my body. "Damon…" My sleepy voice calls out into the darkness as he kisses the back of my neck and sighs. "Mhmm, love. What's going on in that head of yours?"

"A lot of different things." I comment, feeling his grip tighten around me as I nuzzle into him and keep talking in the dark. "We've been together for a long time now." I tell him as he laughs, telling me to turn towards him so that he can see my face. I do as he says, allowing my head to rest against his bare chest, feeling the warm feeling sheets slide down my backside.

"Are you sure that you're ready for this?" I ask him, hoping that he can't hear the doubt in my voice.

Damon's hand is in my hair, the strands of it fall back against my skin as I close my eyes and feel myself drifting to sleep. I fight it though, waiting out his answer.

He kisses my temple and then my lips as he whispers back in a confident tone. "I've never been more ready for anything in my life than I am for tomorrow, Bonnie Bennett. I promise to make you the happiest woman on this planet and I promise that no matter what happens around us. You and I will always be as one." I smile, a sleepy grin spreading across my face as I lay my head onto his chest again and feel myself falling asleep just listening to his heart beating.

"I don't ever want to be without you either, Damon. You're my best friend, my everything and you make me a better person every single day…." My voice trails off as he places his arm against my back and I can feel his own hand slip away from being tangled in my hair. "I know, you're mine too." He tells me as my eyelids begin to grow heavy and I drift into a deep sleep, the images of my wedding dress dancing around in my mind as I think about tomorrow and the fact that when the evening comes, I'll finally be Bonnie Salvatore. Damon Salvatore's proud new wife!

Thoughts? Please feel free to leave me a review!


	40. Chapter 40

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. Part 1 of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless new firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon,Klaus&Katherine)

A/N: Hey all! Here is chapter 40! Enjoy & Thanks for reading!

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty

-Bonnie-

There are flowers everywhere, the conservatory is filled with white roses and yellow tulips as I glance out at the crowd. Last night was amazing, laying with Damon in my arms and waking in the morning to watching the sun go up with him was like something out of a dream state! I couldn't have pictured or wanted anything better. My hands begin to shake as I pull back the curtain and close my eyes, in a few minutes. I'll be walking down that aisle, ready to be married to the man that I've loved ever since we met. You know, he's changed my life and he's saved it too. Damon encouraged me to go back to school and pursue my dreams. Never once did he tell me that something I said was stupid or a bad idea, he always told me to at least try it and see what happens. "Changes are a wonderful thing. They force you to look at things from a different perspective as well." He told me once, kissing me on the temple and saying that no matter what happened between us that everything would be okay.

"You're lucky." Caroline's voice chimes in as I turn around to see her, holding a bundle of red roses and giving me a saddened expression. We're all aware now of what happened between her and Tyler. Honestly, it breaks my heart seeing them sit across from each other in separate seats and him acting as if nothing is bothering him. Yet, deep down, everyone can feel the tension between them as she's about to walk down the aisle with Tyler's stand in substitute- Zach Salvatore.

"Hi darlin'. He says, linking his arm under Caroline's just before the music begins.

"Damon told me what happened between you and Tyler…" His voice trails off as she shrugs her shoulders, also acting like nothing is wrong. "It's going to get better Care, just give him some time. He'd be a fool to lose you. A good woman like that. That man out there better get his head out of his ass! Although, just know. He needs some space and some time to think about things too. So, be patient with him." He comments, looking back to me as he asks where Stefan and Elena are.

"I'm here! Slowly but surely. I'm here!" Elena shouts out, waddling towards us with her hand on her lower back and another one on her protruding stomach. All the bridesmaids are wearing these beautiful lilac purple long chiffon dresses that drop down to their ankles with white high heels. All the guys are in gray suits with red roses pinned to their jackets and for some reason, all of this makes me smile like an idiot. "Look at all those firemen out there." Elena smirks over at me, whispering into my ear. "They sure know how to clean up well. Dear lord, it's got me all hot and bothered!" She laughs, pulling the thin white veil over my head as I inhale sharply. I take a peek out into the crowd again and notice that Damon's already standing out near where the pastor is.

"It's show time!" Zach announces, just in time as the music begins and I watch Stefan join Elena. He grins at me, telling me over his shoulder how beautiful I look and with that I stand alone, watching them all descend down the aisle and all I can think about is how thankful I am for every single one of them and how much joy they bring into my life. Without them, I'd be totally lost.

"Dearly beloved. We are gathered here today to be in the presence of a beautiful union between Bonnie Bennett and Damon Salvatore." The pastor announces as everyone takes their seats and I take a hold of Damon's hands. His eyes never leave mine, our hands are tightened around each other's as the ceremony takes way and the pastor continues to speak.

"You have known each other from the first glance of acquaintance to this point of commitment. At some point, you decided to marry. From that moment of yes, to this moment of yes, indeed, you have been making commitments in an informal way. All of those conversations that were held in a car, or over a meal, or during long walks—all those conversations that began with, "When we're married," and continued with "I will" and "you will" and "we will"—all those late night talks that included "someday" and "somehow" and "maybe"—and all those promises that are unspoken matters of the heart. All these common things, and more, are the real process of a wedding. The symbolic vows that you are about to make are a way of saying to one another, "You know all those things that we've promised, and hoped, and dreamed—well, I meant it all, every word."

"Look at one another and remember this moment in time. Before this moment you have been many things to one another—acquaintance, friend, companion, lover, dancing partner, even teacher, for you have learned much from one another these past few years. Shortly you shall say a few words that will take you across a threshold of life, and things between you will never quite be the same. For after today you shall say to the world—"This is my husband." "This is my wife." Bonnie, pick up Damon's ring, and repeat after me….I, Bonnie Bennett. Take you, Damon Salvatore. To be my husband. I promise to love you, to laugh with you, to cherish every moment of our lives together. I promise to be your best friend during our good and bad days. And, in sickness and in health. I will love you and honor you, for all the days of my life." I tell him, never once leaving Damon's loving gaze as the pastor clears his throat and says to Damon. "Damon, please pick up Bonnie's ring and repeat after me.."

"To my wife, my best friend and my soul mate. I love you today, tomorrow and for the rest of our lives. In sickness and in health, in good times and in bad. I will stand by your side and I will never let you down, Bonnie Bennett Salvatore. You are my life now." Damon says, leaning in close as the vows finish and even before the pastor says that he can kiss me, Damon's anxious awaiting lips are on mine as he tilts me back and kisses me as if I'm the air he's desperately in deep of breathing.

The yellow tulips and red roses are covering every single table as Damon takes my hand and we stand for the music. I glance over quickly to the stage to see Stefan grab the microphone as he announces sweetly. "And, now is the time for the bride and groom's first dance as man and wife. Aww, Bonnie, I hope that he doesn't trip over you- my brother has two left feet." Stefan jokes, raising his glass as I laugh and Damon's arms pull me against his body.

"I just want to say that I'm thrilled Bonnie is finally a Salvatore. Took my brother ages to make this happen. Yet, I'm really glad he did because that girl is a total keeper. So, from your new brother in law. Welcome to the Salvatore family, Bon. I'm thankful that you're finally a part of it." Stefan adds in before he's ushered off the stage by a singer that Zach recommended for us a few weeks prior to the wedding.

"You ready for this?" Damon asks suddenly, causing me to tilt my head to the side in confusion, the words on the tip of my tongue. But, before I could speak, Damon speaks up first. "For being married to me forever?" He asks curiously, smiling when my arms grip around him tighter and the music begins to blare from above our heads. I smile at him, my fingertips caressing his face as I secure my eyes on to him and then I firmly state. "I'm ready for a lifetime with you, Damon Salvatore. I'm ready to be your wife, for better or for worst. I'll be here until we're old and gray. I promise, I will never let you down and I will be with you, forever."

"Forever is quite a long commitment, you sure that you won't get bored of me?" He asks jokingly as I lay my head against his shoulder, feeling him sway us to the music as I reply back softly. "That's impossible. You're my best friend and you mean the world to me. That will never happen in a million years. I love you too much for that to ever happen." He smirks, kissing my cheek as he tightens his arm around me and swirls me around just as he says. "I'm the luckiest man on earth to be married to you, Bon. The absolute luckiest."

-Stefan-

"The wedding turned out perfectly." Elena comments, leaning her head against my shoulder as we sit down, hidden away from what feels like a couple hundred family members that I didn't really want to see, outside on the balcony. The cool breeze swirls around us as she exhales deeply and tiredly yawns.

"Yeah. But, you know that you should be in bed and not here at my brother's wedding." I point out, watching Elena crinkle her nose at me, turning towards me and swatting at my shoulder playfully. "Where else would I be, Stefan? Damon got married today and hopefully for your brother, this one will be the first and last marriage. Because, Bonnie Bennett- Salvatore is wonderful and I can tell that she really loves him. Also, because she seems to be the only one to handle Damon. Let's be honest, she is the only one to be able to handle him." Elena laughs, burying her face into my shoulder.

"Oh, she knows how to handle him alright. But as for you, Elena Gilbert. You and your big round belly, should be in bed because that's the doctor's orders. However, since your stubborn and don't listen to him. I guess, we should go and have some fun then." I tell her, releasing her from the embrace I've got on her, our backs are turned away from the blaring music and the overly cheerful reception that was going on behind us in the venue that Bonnie and Damon had picked out for the wedding.

"You really want me to put these high heels back on? They've been cutting into the back of my feet and my feet are swelling because of them." Elena complains, watching as I looked back at Damon and Bonnie dancing together on the dance floor, seeming to be the only ones as everyone else sits and watches them in awe of the happy couple.

"No one said you had to wear them, now come on...There's a song that will be coming up soon and you don't want to miss out on it. I know that for a fact!" I tell her, hearing Elena huff out a breath, watching her shoes drop to the ground as I grab a hold of her hand and gently pull her with me back into the venue, hearing as she laughs at the feeling of the cold flooring under her bare feet.

"What's the song?" She asks me, placing her hand on to my shoulder, her arms loosely laying on them as I lean forward and kiss her temple.

"Don't make me sing it...Please." I begged her, lovingly looking at her as Elena leans her head back, laughing when she looks back up at me with a huge smile on her face.

"Come on, Stefan. Just a little. I like when you sing to me, come on, just a little hint." She eggs me on, tightening her grip as we sway back and forth, hearing the music start- just when I lean forward and whisper the lyrics into her ear. "Well, you dawned on me and you bet I felt it. I tried to be chill, but you're so hot that I melted. I fell right through the cracks. Now I'm trying to get back. But I won't hesitate. No more, no more. It cannot wait, I'm yours..."

"Jason Mraz?" Elena asks in an excited tone as I push her gently away from me, our arms stretched out while I spin her around slowly and feel her step back towards me, gripping on to me again when I lean into her ear and whisper. "Yup, now. One song and then we're going to go home and I can sing the rest of it to you in private." I comment, winking at her. Elena laughs, resting her head against my shoulder as she exhales out a breath, agreeing. "I'd go anywhere with you, Mr. Salvatore. All you've got to do is lead the way."

I'm smiling foolishly as I kiss her and rest my hand against the small of her back, hearing her speak in a soft tone as she adds on. "Mhmm..I'd like that, a private session. Maybe you can even do without the tie and suit, I heard that you get the best sounds in the bath tub? Is that even right? I guess we'll have to see when we get home. Anyways, right now, one song and dance. But, can you sing that last part again. I really like the way you whispered it." She replies with a sweet tone, her arms wrapped around my neck as I nod, leaning back for a moment and against her lips, just about to kiss her before I pause and reply against her ruby red shaded mouth. "I won't hesitate no more... It cannot wait, this is our fate, baby girl...I'm yours."

A/N: Since I still have so much to write for this story, I'm thinking of doing a time jump. I was thinking of starting the next chapter "3 months later" and at the point where Elena goes into labor with the twins just to move this story a long a bit. What do you all think about that idea?

Please feel free to leave me a review! :)


	41. Chapter 41

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> AU. Part 1 of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless new firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon,Klaus&Katherine)

A/N: Please note, this chapter has a few references to drug use.

Also, many of you keep asking me if this story is ending soon. I'm going to say this right now..It is NOT ending any time soon! I will let you all know when I decide to end it. However, I still have a lot of this story to tell. So, we're just going to keep going on with it. ;)

Enjoy & Thanks for reading!

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty-One

3 months later…

-Stefan-

"Stefan!" I hear my name being called as I pull her closer and she yelps out in pain.

"Babe, wake up!" Elena calls out to me while I open one of my eyes and then the other one slowly follows. "It's time." Her voice trails off as I grumble something about it being too early and I feel a smack on my shoulder when she states. "Take me to the hospital, unless you want to be the one delivering our babies on the floor of our brand new master bedroom or that nice unfurnished kitchen!"

"Time? Like, now?" I'm playfully teasing her as she rolls her eyes and I get up briskly from the bed. It's a little past 4:30 am and I'd been at work all of last night, just got home and laid in bed about 30 minutes ago just to be woken up by Elena's intensifying contractions. "How far apart are they?" I ask her, helping her slowly off the bed when she wails out in pain. "Pretty close. They started just a little bit before you came home and now, I know for a fact that my water broke, my legs are all wet and so are the sheets." She adds in, placing her hand on to her stomach as I search the room for the overnight bag that we've had placed on a chair in the bedroom. While trying to calm her down. I can't seem to think straight though, my mind keeps wondering to the babies and getting Elena to the hospital safely. I'm nervous as hell and she must be able to notice because I've stopped moving and I'm just standing there like a deer in the headlights.

"Stefan? Babe?" She calls out again, taking a seat on the edge of the bed, breathing in and out as she sighs deeply. "Baby, we need to get a move on. They're coming and I really don't want you to have to deliver them on our kitchen floor." Elena jokes, watching me for a few minutes as I close my eyes and redirect my thoughts. Everything is going to be okay, everything is going to be okay. I tell myself, finally turning towards Elena as I smile at her and reply back with a goofy grin. "What's so bad about that? Could you imagine the story our kids would tell to their own grandbabies when they got older? Like, oh yeah, my firemen of a father helped our mother bring us into the world on the tile floor of our kitchen because he was in too much of a trance to get her to the hospital before we were born." I comment, laughing to myself as I hear Elena cry out in even more pain.

"Alright, we're going." I tell her, grabbing the bag and slinging it over my shoulder as I help her up from the bed. Elena leans against my shoulder, one of her arms is wrapped around me as she keeps exhaling deeply while she's trying to calm herself. "Stefan, if anything happens to me or the bab-." I cut her off with a kiss on the lips, reassuring her that everything is going to just fine. "Now," I pause near the door, placing my hand on the door knob while I state excitedly. "Let's go bring Sam and Olivia Salvatore into the world. Baby, let's do this!"

I met her today, I met them both today, in the labor and delivery room. I'd been pacing the floors as I stepped out and called Damon to let him know that Elena was in labor. I haven't heard from anyone yet though. I'm partly hoping that they've gotten my messages because I'm starting to think that Elena and I at the moment are really in this thing, together and alone without the support of any of our friends or family. Which, makes me a little anxious and nervous.

"Damon, she went into labor this morning and everything went good. She just got out of surgery from her C-section. I stepped out to call you because we weren't really planning for this today. Although, the babies came a few days early…" My voice trails off as I stand in front of a large window, nearly all the babies in the ward are placed here for a brief observation and then they're taken back to their rooms to be with their mothers and fathers after a few hours. "Elena's just now going back into the recovery room. But, I get to see her in a few minutes. Look, call me back when you get this or just bring Bonnie and come to the hospital."

Looking through the glass at my children, I'm still in shock and awe. I'm a new father, it isn't just Elena and myself anymore. Now, it's me, Sam, Elena and Olivia. Our happy little family. I can tell you that Olivia's brown eyes are just like her mothers and I can tell that she's going to have an infectious smile. Just like Elena's is. My daughter, Olivia Marie Salvatore is beautiful and I'm probably going to need to fend off the boys away from my little girl when she gets older. Honestly, I'm kind of hoping that she's a daddy's girl. I watch as the nurse places her right next to Sam. My son, my little rock star with his bright green eyes and smug facial expression, just like me, his proud and devoted dad! My hands shake as I notice one of the nurses walking up towards me, a wide grin on her face and her bright eyes are shining when she says. "Your wife did great, Mr. Salvatore. She's asking for you now. Follow me and I'll take you back to see her and your twins."

"She's not my wife yet." I correct the nurse, watching as she laughs and points back to the recovery room. "That's not what she's been telling everyone. Elena's awake and she keeps calling out for her husband. Which, I'm assuming is you." I crack a smile, nodding my head. Who cares if she's already calling me her husband. I like it! We still have at least a year until we're married. But, oh well, Elena can call me whatever she likes until then.

"Sure." I reply back, glancing down at my cell phone and putting it into my pocket as I keep looking out towards all the babies. I turn on my heels, watching as she wheels our babies away and I stand there for a few minutes before going to see Elena in her room. I knock on the door lightly, pulling back the blue hospital curtain to reveal an exhausted, but smiling Elena. Even when she's a mess of sweaty hair, tears and worry on her face, all I see in front of me is the woman that I fell in love with, the mother of my beautiful and amazing twins and the one who's captured my heart and soul. The woman I want to be with for the rest of my life!

I watch carefully as she smiles at me, a weak smile on her face before she starts to cry again. Her tired brown eyes and her hands are resting against the bed when I walk up to her, leaning in to kiss her lips and her face, not even bothering to wipe off the sweat that has dampened her cheeks, her lips. "What do you think?" She asks quietly. Her eyes starting to get heavy from being in surgery and the morphine drip. Now, I can tell that the drugs from her epidural are wearing off and the exhaustion on her body is starting to set in as she smiles at me, a goofy lopsided smile appears on her face. The one that I love the most to see whenever she's on the verge of falling into a deep sleep, in my embrace late at night whenever we stayed up and just talked about everything, the future, our children, our wedding for hours.

"They're beautiful baby. Sam and Olivia are perfect. They're everything that I have ever wanted and more. Sweetheart, I love them and I love you, so much!" I tell her, my voice cracking as I lean into her, kissing her forehead again and hearing when Elena yawns as she speaks in a soft whisper. "Stay, please. Stefan, don't leave."

I nod at her, kissing her lips once more before I sit down in a chair that's next to her bedside, holding her hand tightly. "I promise, I'll be here. I'm never going to leave your side, Elena. Never." I tell her with a reassuring tone as we both start to drift off into sleep together. My fiancé. I love the way it rolls off my tongue whenever I introduce her to anyone we meet. But truthfully, I can't wait to call her, Mrs. Elena Salvatore. My beautiful and amazing, wife.

-Caroline-

"So," She begins to say, her glasses drop down to the tip of her nose as I try to figure out in my mind why I didn't think of this sooner. I can tell he doesn't want to be here, having her question nearly everything that we've had going on in our relationship will probably throw an even bigger wrench into the relationship he has with her.

"Mother, is this really necessary?" Tyler asks. His mother, Carol Lockwood is a trained psychologist and has been working as a marriage/ family counselor for the last few years. So, when I made an appointment with her, I knew that Tyler would refuse to go. However, as screwed up as it is to have his mother be our new counselor. I couldn't think of anyone else more creditable to do it.

"Sweetheart, don't look at me like your mother right now. I'm just someone who wants to help you both. You know, so that you can stop living on Matt Donovan's couch and so that you and your wife can be together again under one roof." Carol lays into him as Tyler shifts in his seat. I can tell it's all really unsettling for him.

"Why are we doing this again? Don't you remember that my own mother wanted to kill me after the forest fire accident? Caroline, you haven't really been a fan of my mother since I was in a coma, with a DNR and she wanted to watch me die! When the hell did the two of you reconcile?" He asks as I exhaled deeply, he sure knows how to ruin a moment, doesn't he?

"We're not here to talk about my distrust of your mother, Tyler." I comment as he suddenly gets up, brushing his hands off his jeans when he clears his throat, glancing at his mother and then back at me with a disgusted look on his face. "I can't believe this shit!" He says.

"Fine then. I think we're done here." Tyler says, leaving the room in a flash as I curse his name, following him outside.

"You're a real son of bitch!" I shout out at him, following him out into the parking lot before I lay it on him. I stand there for a minute, watching his body tense up as his eyebrows lift and he cocks his head to the side, laughing.

"I'm an asshole? Oh, honey…" His voice trails off as I cross my arms over my chest and roll my eyes. After so many years of marriage, I never thought that we'd be here- nearly hating one another. What makes this even harder is that I know we're both just lashing out at each other for all the hurt and shit we've been going through lately. Both separate and together.

"Yeah, you are! So, what?" I scream out, throwing my hands up in the air as my purse falls to my feet and I take a few steps towards him, anger fueling my every move. I hate what's happened to us and I can tell that underneath all the layers of him acting as if he doesn't give a shit, he hates this too.

"Don't you know how much money I poured into our IVF treatments? How many times I prayed that every time we went to one of those fertility clinics that we'd walk out with good news? Different answers than just a simple. No, I'm sorry. Not this time, Mr. and Mrs. Lockwood! Caroline, I know that this isn't easy for you. But, you're acting like you're the only fucking one suffering here!" Tyler admits, kicking a few pieces of gravel from underneath his feet.

"I just, I can't do this right now." He tells me, turning back to his truck as I stand there, about to watch him walk away from me. "You can't even talk about it, Tyler! What our future would look like without kids. What our future could look like with them.." My voice cracks as I hear the truck unlock and he shakes his head, tears welling up into his eyes and I feel the tears in mine trickling down my face. "I guess that's what we'll never know, Caroline." He tells me, backing away slowly as I cover my mouth with my hands and sob into them. Maybe this is the end of us? Maybe, Tyler and I will never really be able to fix this and be happy again. Maybe I'm not meant to be a mother and instead, I'm always just going to be 'Auntie Caroline'

-Bonnie-

I watch as the dark haired brunette bimbo sitting across from him at the table laughs a little harder, her eyes twinkling and glazed over as if he's a fresh prime piece of real estate. "Oh, you better fucking not." I puff out under my breath, feeling the jealousy raging within me. Damon told me to sit in the car as he met with a woman who was going to put him in touch for a construction or landscaping job, since just working full time at the fire station isn't really cutting it for us anymore. The mortgage payments on our new house are really making things a lot more difficult to handle and if we keep it up, we could go broke in about two years!

"And, so I was thinking that you could water my plants and my-." The car door of my ford explorer slamming cuts her words off and my angered face makes her suddenly a little skittish.

"Well, you know, I'm sure your wife would really love it if you watered her plants. Although, the other thing that she was about to mention. Let's get real honest here. I'd be fucking pissed if he watered yours and didn't keep it in his pants. And, since my husband is a pretty honest and loyal human being. I highly doubt he'll be watering any of your lonely house wife lady bits. Do you understand me?" I ask her, watching as she swallows her words down, getting up from table and just when I think she's about to leave and tell Damon to forget all about the job, she pushes him her business card and smiles at him.

"To clarify, Mrs. Salvatore. Which, that's whom I am assuming that you are. I really could use the help. My fiancé and I are somewhat new in town and we're still finding our bearings around here. Besides, there are more people in my upscale neighborhood that could use some help around the house. I'm not trying to offer your husband up for sex to a bunch of lonely house wives, just to make things very clear. I'm not a whore or a madam." She tells me, causing me to sit flat down on my butt next to my husband as he rubs his temples in annoyance with me and covers his face with his hands, telling her that he'd be in touch and that he was sorry for my behavior.

Damon turns towards me as she leaves, getting in her car so that she's out of ear shot when he says with an angered tone. "Bonnie, I love you and you're my wife now. So, when the hell are you going to trust me when I'm around other women. Jesus Christ, bon! We need the fucking money and you just ruined it for us!" My face reddens as I push my hair back and try to grab a hold of his hand. I feel like such an idiot. But, aside from the amazing sex and being in a nicer house with Damon. This whole adjustment from girlfriend to fiancé to now being Mrs. Bonnie Salvatore has been a major struggle for me over the last few months. I just feel so out of place with everything lately and I hate it.

"I'm sorry. I didn't think-." He cuts me off, scoffing.

"Clearly, you weren't thinking. Damn it, honey! You need to fucking trust me!" He says, anger in his tone as he pushes himself up from the table, grabbing the car keys from my hands.

"Damon, please-." Damon turns towards me, closing his eyes and stopping just feet away. I watch his shoulder tense and then relax a bit. He licks his bottom lip, turning back to me and just as I open my mouth to say something, I watch him walking back to me with very brisk steps. He places his hand on to each side of my face as he glances down at me with this intensifying look in his eyes. "You're my wife now and I don't give a damn about any other woman. But, you. Bonnie Salvatore. It has always been you and it will forever be you until the end of time for me. You're mine and I'm yours. I will never be anyone else's, but yours for the rest of my life." He says, his blue eyes searching mine as he stands in between my legs, bending down to kiss me. My back leans into the wooden table behind it and I can feel his arms wrap around me lightly, pulling me upward. Damon pulls me into his arms as I wrap my legs around his torso and he places one of his arms underneath my butt for support. "I love you." He tells me, kissing my lips as I back away and he brushes a strand of my hair away from my face when he adds in. "Now, can you stop acting all crazy?"

I laugh, nodding as I bury my face into the curve of his neck. "I promise that we're going to figure this out. You'll see, things will be better than you think. I love you too." I tell him as he nods, walking back to the car slowly with me still wrapped around him as he says "And, that's why I married you. You're always way more positive about things than I am. I'm a lucky fucking man to be so in love with a beautiful woman like you, Bonnie. I am one lucky man and I wouldn't trade this life with you for the world. For better or for worse."

-Tyler-

"Matt!" I'm still fuming from my encounter with my wife when I fling open the door to his apartment. The shades are drawn and it's got a dingy feel to it as I walk through, calling out Matt's name. The last I talked to Matt, he had given me an extra set of keys to his place and told me to make myself at home. We hadn't really seen each other since earlier this morning when he was talking about Makayla Murphy and how he's still in contact with her, actually, he said he was thinking about going over to her place and hanging out for a while. She was throwing this party and Matt, being single and a bit lonely lately said that he really wanted to go since he was feeling a little depressed and in pain from his shoulder and back. "Maybe it would be good for me." He had said, pouring himself a cup of coffee as I had nodded and agreed. I told him about my meeting with Caroline and how as much as I missed her and wanted to patch things up with her as soon as I could- that our separation was seeming to be a good thing for now. Although, after what just happened- I'm starting to regret my decision in going to the meeting. Leaving her in the parking lot, crying and clearly hurting wasn't my intention at all.

"Matt!" I call out, one last time as I notice his keys and cell phone are on the counter, his shoes are kicked off in a corner of the living room and the TV is still on, running the nightly evening news. I hear Matt's cell phone ding as I walk over to the coffee table, noticing that he has an unread text message. The scream is opened up, waiting for a reply. That's when something in the pit of my stomach makes me feel like there's way more to this story than the state of his apartment and home nowhere to be found. That's when I read it….

Tonight was fine. I can't wait to see you again….By the way, Matty- Don't overdo it with the blow or white lady. That shit is super strong! ;) ;) It'll get you really fucked up and since I know the job you do- No one would want to see a high as fuck firemen risking the lives of his 'brothers' and himself for that matter. Oh, if you need more- I'll contact my dealers. Talk soon! Xoxox – Makayla.

"Fucking hell!" I utter out, pivoting on my heels as I notice the door to his bedroom is cracked open a little. I don't usually pry or invade someone's space. Yet, when things seem really off like they do in the moment, I can't help it. My steps are slow as I open the door just a bit more and glance around the room, noticing the bathroom light on as I hear running water. I sigh out a breath. "Thank god." I tell myself, knocking on the door. Waiting. A few minutes go by as I knock once more, calling out his name again.

I don't get a response and that makes my blood boil. Something's not right and now, I'm worried. "Matt Donovan! Open this door, Matt! It's Ty. Matt, it's Tyler!" I shout out, slamming my fists against it, realizing that it's locked and that he's in there. Opening the door could unleash my worst fears- my best friend shooting up during a drug induced haze or even worse. I could find him dead from a drug overdose.

My instincts and training kick in as I take a few steps back, ready to knock the door off of its hinges with a swift kick just to be able to get to him. "Matt! I'm coming in on the count of three!" I yell out a warning, counting slowly…One….Step back…Two….Step back….Three…Run and kick. My body slams into the door as I hear it crack and I fly forward. Finding my footing after a minute, that's when I see him. He's slumped over the toilet, yellow bile surrounds him as I look down and notice what he was trying to do. A bottle of white looking pain killers is scattered on the counter and a few have fallen into the sink. Matt's face is white and his lips are nearly blue as I slowly lower him down to the ground, shoving my fingers into his mouth in hopes of him vomiting up the pills. However, that's when I realize something else- he's got a rope wrapped around his arm, a needle sticking out of from one of his veins and he's not breathing.

"Come on! Come fucking on!" I shout out at him, starting CPR. My own heart is rattling inside of my chest as I keep up with my compressions. The time seems slow as I breath into his mouth, waiting. I check Matt's pulse, nothing.

"Son of a bitch! You can't do this, Matt! You can't fucking die on me!" I'm scared to lose him, someone that I have considered a close friend for years and here he is, nearly dead on his own bathroom floor for who knows how long. Nearly giving up, I decide to call it in- making one last stich effort to save his life and hoping that when he makes it out of this mess that he'll thank me. My shaking hands grab my cell phone as I call 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"I need an ambulance. Male subject, late 20s." I inhale deeply as I utter out the words that I'd never thought I'd say in the same sentence when it came to one of my buddies from the firehouse. Swallowing down my fears, I add in the final information. "Possible heroin and prescription pill overdose. I've tried compression's and I'm resuming them now. But, I don't feel a pulse. I think he's dead, ma'am. He's not breathing and I think he's dead. Please, hurry! Please, I need you to hurry!"

A/N: Just when you all thought that Makayla Murphy was gone for good...hehe...Let me just say this, she's going to make a come back in to this story in a VERY big way. ;)

Please let me know what you all thought. I love reviews!


	42. Chapter Forty-Two

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty-Two

Matt

I wake up in a daze, feeling Tyler's hand against my shoulder as he shakes me awake and tells me that he doesn't think I'm ready to be back here. It's only been three weeks since the incident that nearly killed me. I overdosed on some pills and alcohol. The doctors cleared me for work again after I promised that I'd start seeing a therapist. So, I'm in therapy for my issues and my addiction to prescription pills. Yet, I'm struggling and it's been one hell of a week, being back at work.

"You shouldn't be here." Tyler tells me, buttoning up the last few buttons to his shirt as I wipe sleep from my eyes. I came here early in the morning to prove to him and everyone else that I was fine. Tyler and I haven't talked about the overdose or anything that happened at my apartment that day, he told me that he wouldn't mention it to anyone as long as I agreed to follow his rules.

"I know. But, frankly, it's better that I'm here than in my apartment, alone." I comment, swinging my legs over the bed railing and smiling down at him. I watch as Tyler just shakes his head, leaning forward as he asks. "Are you sure that you're 100 percent fine? Because, Matt…I can't risk you endangerin-." Cutting him off with a wave of my hand, I tell him that I'm fine and that he doesn't have anything to worry about. That it's all good and that things will be just fine. Smiling at him when my feet hit the ground, I add in that I'd never put any of the other guys in danger.

"How is Patrick's old spot as fire chief treating you these days?" I ask him, hearing as he lets out a small laugh, hesitation within his voice when he says. "I better not be making a mistake with this, Matt. I swear to God that if something happens to my men. I'm going to-." I place my hand on to his shoulder, whispering into his ear. "I promise you that I wouldn't be here if I wasn't okay, Tyler. My therapist and I are working towards getting my pills in order and the dosages figured out. But, I'm okay. I swear that you have nothing to worry about, Tyler. Nothing is going to happen to no one." I tell him, seeing the fear within his eyes as he finally lets it go and nods at me. Tyler sighs out a breath before he says "Get your boots and gear on, I want you retraining with Garrison today before I send you out with the guys this week. I just need to make sure that you're still physically fit too."

"Okay." Is all I say as I start to undress, my mind racing as I push the overwhelming urge to use in the back of my mind and attempt to focus on the job at hand. I know that it's going to be challenging, trying to keep my addiction under wraps while at work. Yet, I promise myself that I need to keep myself clean. I need to try and get better because I could have died and the only person that seemed to care was Tyler. I don't have anyone else in my life except for my work friends and I not only need to stay clean for myself. But, I need to keep clean for them as well.

Everything hurts the next morning as I roll off of the bed and exhale deeply. Another night of sweating profusely and dreams that make me wish that I was dead. I keep seeing Daniel in front of my eyes, telling me that I was responsible for his death, telling me that I should have died instead of him. The guilt of his death, still weighing heavy on my conscious.

"You know, you're the one who killed me. You're responsible for it all." He urges on as I close my eyes, leaning against the closed door in my bathroom, trying to push down the feeling of guilt and nausea that have accompanied me since yesterday afternoon at work and trying to rid the hallucinations of him away from me. My body is sent into shockwaves of cold sweats, excessive hunger and paranoia. I know what this is, I just don't know how to handle it. The first wave of feeling sick comes fast and hard as I heave over the toilet seat, clutching the edges and praying that I can make it through the day. However, I know that when the sun goes down and I'm alone tonight again with my thoughts and feelings of helplessness. I know that all I'm going to crave is the drugs and booze- because, to me that is all that matters.

Getting up and out of the bathroom happens in a daze as I grab my cell phone and flip through my contacts, there's no one that can help me overcome my withdrawals. At least, no one that I want to know about my little drug habits. Slamming my phone on the counter, I lean against it and deeply sigh out a breath. I need to get rid of this feeling- the feeling of my life falling apart and the only thing that could help me is the drugs that I so desperately need. Who am I joking here? Telling myself that I don't need them is a pretty big lie. Because, I can't go one like this either. I'm dying inside!

Scrolling through my contacts, I remember giving my phone number to a girl at the bar from a few weeks ago, one of Makayla's new friends. She had dark brown hair, just met Makayla and I at a bar and she looked oddly familiar to me for some reason. Although, at the time, I was too drunk to place her face and her voice. So, it's not like it really mattered anyways.

"Kay, I need the number of that new friend of yours…" I text her, anxiously walking around the apartment and waiting for a reply.

"Which one?" She asks me, allowing me to think for a minute as I reply with "The one that we met at the bar a few weeks ago for drinks. The brunette that said she was new in town. She said that she had met me before briefly, remembered that I worked at a firehouse." I text her back, waiting. The ping of my cell phone makes my heart race as she finally texts back and says. "Right! Her name was Katherine and she was new in town. I met her at a yoga class…Here's the number. (631) 456-7890. What do you need to talk to her for?"

I pause, trying to come up with an excuse. Although, I remind myself that now aside from Tyler, she's the other person who knows my struggles. "I'm going through withdrawals and I need a refill on some things. There was something about your new friend that told me that she might be the answer to solving all of my problems at the moment."

Damon

"You're promoting me? To captain?" I ask him as if I'm totally underqualified for the job. Tyler closes the door behind him, smiling from ear to ear as he takes a seat behind Patrick's old desk and leans back, raising his arms above his head. "Damon, my marriage is falling apart. I've been sleeping here for the last three weeks and I'm pretty sure that my wife has no desire to see me at all anytime soon. Although, as for you. It's your lucky day because I've been here enough in the last few weeks after starting this job and watching Patrick finally leave that I've noticed a few things." Exhaling, Tyler turns to his right side and takes a yellow file folder off the table.

"Your qualifications are impeccable. Being Captain is what you're supposed to be, Damon. I have no doubt in my mind that this firehouse will be better because of you." He comments, tapping his fingers against the table as I begin getting up, leaning forward to shake his hand. "Sit down," Tyler begins to say, looking down at the picture on his desk as I realize that it's a picture of him and Caroline.

"Can you do me a favor?" He asks, swallowing the pain and hurt I know that he's been feeling as we both sit there for a moment and think about his wife. Caroline Forbes- Lockwood, a beautiful and funny girl. Who is no doubt the love of Tyler's life and who is also driving him crazy with being so distant lately. However, I'm pretty sure that she has every right to be as distant as she wants.

"I'll talk to her. Hell, I'll have Bonnie and I talk to her together. We'll invite her over to the house." I tell him, pushing up from the seat in his office as Tyler locks his eyes upon me, heavily exhaling. "Thank you, man. I really do appreciate it."

Stopping near the door, I place my hand against the door frame as I turn back to him. We're both quiet for a long time before I ask in a sudden concerned tone. "Is everything okay with Matt Donovan?"

The expression on his face tells me that he's lying as he leans forward, hands clasped together when he says. "Damon, I'm handling it. He's dealing with some personal issues at the moment. Although, he's not a danger to you or to any of the other guys. I'd never allow that. Now, I promise you that I'm handling it to the best of my abilities."

"Okay." I comment, leaning towards the now opened door as I watch Tyler lean back, closing his eyes for a minute. "Everything's going to be okay with Caroline, I promise." I tell him as I watch his eyes narrow back onto the picture in front of him while he slowly nods his head, taking his hand and slamming the picture of Caroline down onto the desk while he says softly. "I hope so or I'll be divorced soon."

Stefan

Apparently, no one had figured out an instruction manual for parenting yet. Leaning down and attempting to unlock my newborn daughter's car seat, that's the first thought that comes into my head. No one knows what the hell they're doing when they first become a parent. It's like riding a bike for the first time or going in totally blinded by smoke into a house fire. That's the closest thing that I can compare it to. I feel like a rookie all over again as Olivia stares up and me as if I'm a total idiot. I feel like telling her that, yes, her father is a fucking moron and the only good thing he's managed to do this week is remember to brush his teeth and comb his hair because everything else isn't going as it should. They've been home for a month already; we're still learning new things about them every day and that's the only thing that keeps me going, reminding me that in fact, I'm a first time father and not a total failure and certainly, not perfect! Like the fact that babies wake up every 2 hours, on the hour to be fed, changed and burped. They open their eyes on the dot like clockwork! Olivia likes sleeping against my chest when I rock her to sleep and Sam keeps one eye on his mother and another on me whenever he's slowly staring to drift to sleep. It's honestly the cutest thing that I've ever seen.

Olivia's got these big round brown eyes, so expressive and beautiful, just like Elena's. Placing her down into the crib in our bedroom, I feel her grip onto my hand, not wanting to let go. I'm exhausted, from working at the fire station on and off this week and then coming home and helping Elena as much as I can. It's only been the two of us since neither her nor I wanted to hire a babysitter so early on. So, whenever I'm at work, Caroline and Bonnie come over to help her out. Although, tonight neither of them could make it. So, Elena's long overdue for a nap and a break.

"I was going to call my brother to help out. But, his work hours have been crazy since it's summer time. More protesters, near police shootings, scary stuff." She comments, leaning against the door frame as she exhales deeply. Her eyes are focused on our daughter as I pull her back against my chest, trying to adjust the pacifier into her mouth.

"I miss your brother, haven't seen him in months. But, you should have called me to get off of work earlier. You know that I would have com-." Waving her hand in the air, she takes a step into the nursery. Elena places her hand onto my back, rubbing it gently as she leans her head on to my back and pulls her arms around me from behind. She yawns out a breath as she says in a sleepy and soft tone. "I am so thankful for you. For the amazing man that you are and the wonderful father that you'll be to them. Stefan, I am beyond lucky to have you in my life. But, you do so much for us already. Risking your life every single day. Baby, it's okay that you didn't come home earlier." I'm smiling as I move slowly back to the crib, putting Olivia down safely around a few rolled up towels, because that's apparently how she likes to sleep- feeling protected as if she's still in the womb.

I turn back to her, pulling Elena into my embrace, kissing the top of her head and allowing her to relax into me as I reply back to her sentimental words with a sweet smile. "I'm an even luckier man to have you as a partner, an amazing mother to our children and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. Elena, I will always do anything and everything for you and our children. No matter what." I tell her, watching Elena's eyes fill with unshed tears as I cup her face into the palm of my hands, kissing her hungrily as she wraps her arms around me and rests her head onto my chest when she says. "And, I can't wait to spend the rest of my life being your wife and watching you be a great father to our babies in this little house of ours. Mr. Salvatore, I love you."

"I love you too, Elena." I tell her, pulling her against my chest as I keep her close, thanking god for giving me such an amazing person in my life. My one and only. My sweet and loving, Elena.

I can't remember the last time I've felt this exhausted when my alarm clock went off. It's 2 am. Too early to even be up considering that the babies have slept barely at all. Elena groans, punching my arm as she mumbles how much she hates my job. Yet, how happy she is that it pays our mortgage. "I love this house though and I love you." She comments with a loud groan, covering her eyes as I turn the buzzing phone off and lay down beside her again. I don't want to go to work today, I've been off for a few days, helping with the twins and today's one of my longest shifts away from them and Elena since they were born.

"I love you. Just make sure that you come back safe, this time. Come back home, to me." She tells me suddenly with a sleep filled tone, leaning into me as I smile at her, watching while she lays back into the bed, pulling the covers over her shivering body. It's 2 am and I've just gotten the call to be at the fire house, It's early. Too early to even think about going anywhere or waking up the babies yet. Too early to leave her or them in the house. I don't want to go. But, I have to as I listen to the voicemail, Matt's voice echoing in the distant, telling me that Tyler needs me as soon as possible.

"I always do. Elena, I'm a firefighter. What's the worst that could happen?" I tell her with a chuckle, throwing a shirt over my head while crawling over the bed, hovering over her once again and leaving a sweet kiss against her warm lips. I think about it, the worst that could happen…The worst things that have happened to us since she's known me. Those memories of burying Daniel and losing Alex. Watching Sean struggle with the loss of his son and seeing the tears in Melanie's eyes as she said goodbye to the only man she's ever loved. Watching Elena sitting on the floor of my old apartment's bathroom. Not wanting to move or eat for three days straight because she came back from Luke and Rosie's funerals and was just utterly heartbroken. Watching her cry in my arms for five months straight as I held her against me while she fell apart, emotionally and physically.

"The worst that could happen. Elena, it's already happened to us. We've been through hell and now, this is our break. You and I, we've survived a lot." I comment, hearing as she stirs in the bed and glances over at me.

"I almost lost you so many times, Stefan. I just-." She stops, licking her lips as she tries to find the right words. For a few minutes she glances down at her engagement ring and then she states. "I want you to be careful and I want you to come home to us. Things are different now. We have two little children that need their parents. Stefan, you never know. Anything could happen. I just want you to be careful. Okay, I don't have a good feeling about today." She says to me in a warning tone, worry in her voice as I nod and run my warm hands over her cold skin, attempting to calm her fears.

"You worry too much. Everything is going to be fine. You know why I carry this with me?" I ask her, taking out an old picture of her from the diner that she had given me on one of our dates. Clearing my throat, I add in. "I carry it because it's a reminder of what I need to come home to. You. I carry it because every time that I'm scared, it gives me the strength to keep pushing forward. Seeing your smiling face, gives me hope. So, that's why I carry your picture where ever I go. It's like my lucky charm, a reminder of what I'm coming home to. You and our beautiful kids, Olivia and Sam. Elena, you have nothing to worry about! Nothing will happen to me because I've got my team by my side too. I promise you, that I'll be fine. Plus, we have a wedding to plan in a few months. That's enough to worry about. I know for a fact that it's all going to be perfect. Because all that's going to matter is the two of us and our children and starting the great life we'll have in the future. Then, you'll be my wife. Okay?" I tell her, smiling as I brush my lips against her cheeks and she wraps her arms around me, nodding.

"I know that it will be. I know it will." She says with a reassuring tone, kissing me one last time before she lets me go. She stares at me for a long time, almost as if she's memorizing my features when she says. "Please, Stefan. Just promise me that you'll be careful today. I just can't shake this feeling away and I don't like it. I don't like it at all."

Backing away from her and walking towards the crib. I lean down and kiss Olivia and then Sam as they sleep. I'm smiling from ear to ear as I walk over to our bathroom door. "You've got nothing to worry about, sweetheart. I promise. You'll see, maybe I'll be home before you go to sleep tonight." Elena hears me say as I close the door, leaning against it and closing my eyes. I'm trying to not let Elena's anxieties fill my mind. However, I can't seem to shake the feeling either. So, to ease my own fears, I turn to something that I haven't done in a few years. I'm not a religious person at all. But, I quietly say a little prayer, just for a brief moment, I allow my fears to be forgotten as I whisper out softly. Please God. Don't let anything bad happen to me or my guys today. Please help keep all of us safe and please bring us home tonight. Bring me home to her. Bring me home to my kids. Bring all of us home tonight, alive. Because, no matter what happens, she can't lose me.

I shake away the feeling of anxiety as I walk through the familiar doors of the firehouse a few hours later, ignoring the nagging thoughts swirling around in my mind. What if Elena was right? What if today wasn't a good day to go to work? I laugh it off when I nearly bump into Damon. He's got a huge goofy grin on his face, the newly married man grin that I can't wait to have myself when I marry Elena in the summer.

"And there he is! My little brother!" He shouts at me; I watch as Damon throws a kitchen towel at me. "Hey little brother! How's the wife and kids?" He asks teasingly. Damon watches as I ball up the towel and throw it back at him in a playful manner. "Wife?" I question, reminding him that Elena isn't my wife yet. Even though, we've already gotten used to calling each other husband and wife. It's a silly little thing that we've started and now everyone we know caught on to it.

"Oh you know, captain! She's fine, Olivia and Sam didn't keep her up all night that much. You know, she finally got enough sleep, as much as one could get with two newborns." I tell him, watching as Damon nods and then turns towards the stove, making sure that the boiling water doesn't spill over.

"Aha, and I take it that you didn't keep her up all night either?" He asks with a wink, his voice teasing as he smiles and then turns back towards me.

"No! I didn't, Damon. I've been too exhausted for sex. Actually, Matt called me at 2 am this morning, not sounding so well and told me to get my ass here, He said that the Chief wanted us here. Tyler called him in early too! So, enough about me. How's Bonnie? The new bride!" I ask him, watching as Damon steps back from the stove and lets out a laugh, tossing another towel over his shoulder.

"Let's just say, my new beautiful bride kept me up. All night. Until, like you. I got a call from Matt telling me that the boss man. Tyler, wanted to see us! Yeah, I noticed that Matty didn't sound so great too. But, he's here." Damon comments, wanting to add more to what he's telling me. But, we're both stopped to the sound of familiar heavy boots and of Matt and Tyler storming into the kitchen of the fire house in a flash.

"Boys! So, glad that you could all make it! Now, before you rip into me for being here so early. I got a call from fire station 54. They need us. A fire broke out at a warehouse in a rural area and they need all the extra hands they can get, to stop it from spreading to the other buildings!" He informs us, watching as Damon shakes his head and turns off the stove, brushing past me as he pats me on the shoulder and says "You ready for this?" He asks me as I nod my head, feeling his hand grip my shoulder when he states in a loud and serious tone. "Alright then, let's go fight some fires, little brother!"

"4 alarm fire. 2345 NE 28th Ave. Engine 17. Engine 54. Engine 9. Truck 1. Rescue 1. Battalion 6. Possible structure fire at warehouse. 2345 NE 28th. All units respond, 4 alarm warehouse fire." The dispatch team echoes out into the fire trucks radio receiver as Tyler glances back over at us, worry etching across his young and usually relaxed features.

"This isn't good, is it?" Damon leans over, placing his hand onto my knee as I nod at him. We've seen and been through a lot over the last few months, years even. But, today seems different. This seems scarier, a lot more serious than ever and I only get a real glimpse of how bad it is once we're parked near the building. It's blazing and I know from what I've heard it's probably going to be one of the worst fires that I have ever seen in my whole entire career. It's in the air, I can feel it. The way Tyler speaks to us loudly, the blaring of the sounds of the fire truck in my ears, the sirens buzzing. Today is going to be different and I can feel it. "Something isn't right about this." I shout out to Damon, telling him to be careful because it's like a dream as we park the truck in front of the blaze and my insides churn with fear. Maybe she was right, maybe her words will come back to haunt me as I press forward and do my job.

I watch as Damon jumps out of the truck, yelling at Matt and me to get a better picture of the inside of the blazing two story warehouse. He wants us to go inside with a few others. He screams at us to be careful as Tyler does the same, grabbing the water hose and taking a few steps towards the fire, pointing the water at the blaze, as if it's going to extinguish it quicker. Our backup teams rush in behind us, more men joining the small firehouse that we are as Matt, Damon and I make our way inside.

I pass by Tyler and Damon with Matt, and the water sprays against my suit. It's cold and as I look up at the building, hear the windows shattering from the heat. I watch as Matt finds a safe place for us to enter. Our one job, the one that I hate doing the most is going in and making sure that there are no dead bodies. Part of me is sick to my stomach as I hear Matt shout from in front of me. "Be careful! Let's split up, you take this upstairs room and I got the other one downstairs. And, Stefan, do not get yourself killed!" He shouts through his face shield, keeping his eye contact on me until he disappears into the building and all I can see is the darkness of smoke in front of me.

My face mask and oxygen tank are working overtime as I carefully walk up the rickety stairs. The wood underneath my feet cracks and shakes as a small laugh escapes my lips while I nod at Matt before he completely disappears out of my view. Those are the words that we always speak to each other before we know we're going into a dire situation. We know the risks of this job, but we always make sure that each of us always make it out alive, together. One wrong move and this could all go to hell. I think to myself as I deeply breath out my fear and focus on the job. The whole building could be engulfed in flames if we don't get this part of it extinguished in a few hours. All the surrounding office buildings could go up in smoke and people could lose their livelihoods.

I feel the heat of the room against my skin, making me sweat. Even though, I'm wearing a protective suit, I can still feel the fire all around me. It's consuming everything and anything around it. I can still feel the fire burning, the heat of the room engulfing me and the smoke filling my lungs. I guess that's what messes me up, the barely there visibility makes me take one wrong move, because right before I take a step, right before I turn around to grab my radio to tell Matt that we're all clear and that he can tell Tyler that I've found nothing on this side of the building in the upstairs rooms. I feel the floor rattle under me and suddenly, I'm sucked into the black hole, into the darkness and heat of the blaze and all I can hear is the sound of my name being screamed over and over again as Matt shouts into his radio. "Firefighter down! Firefighter down!" My body slams down against burning wood and my head hits hard against a metal rod. I'm trapped as it begins, the pain increasing in my body. My eyelids grow heavy and all I can picture is her face in my mind and the thought of me dying here without having given her a proper goodbye. The thought of Elena fills my mind as I close my eyes and begin to drift. Feeling the pain leave my body makes me relax while I hear her words in my head… "I love you, Stefan. Just make sure that you come back safe, this time. Please, make sure you come back to me."

A/N: Please feel free to leave me a review. Until next time!


	43. Chapter Forty-Three

A/N: You might need something to cry into or wipe your tears with.

Thanks for reading & enjoy.

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Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty-Three

Stefan

"You're so beautiful." I tell her, watching as she lays beside me, breathing heavily while moving her hair behind her right shoulder. She's got a grin so wide on her face while she glances down at her engagement ring, smirking.

"You asked me to marry you today, in the freezing cold." She comments, leaning back against the pillows of our bed and taking my hand into hers. "I'm the luckiest woman alive to be loved by you." She says to me, moving forward as she cups my face into the palm of her hands, staring into my eyes. Elena kisses my lips softly, slowly sliding her body against mine while she sits in my lap, the white thin bed sheet slipping down to her waistline as my hand gently strokes her bare back, making small circles upon her skin.

The warmth of the sun shining into the room makes my heart pound harder, a little quicker than usual my hands move to grip her hips. Elena rolls her pelvis against mine, causing my erection to harden as I push away her hair, kissing her neck and pulling her even closer to me. We're skin to skin, legs mangled together, hands searching for each other's in the dimly lit room as I roll us over and she lays on her back against the mattress. "We can't wake anyone up. You can't make me get too loud." She giggles, stroking the side of my face as she locks her eyes on to me. I kiss her feverishly, replying back with a smirk as I whisper into her ear. "I'll make you come so hard that this whole damn house will wake up and I won't give a damn because my name is the only thing that they'll all be hearing come out of your mouth." She laughs, shaking her head in disbelief as I kiss her cheek and seductively whisper against her ear. "Watch me."

Her legs brush against my sides as I gently lower my body against hers. My erection hardens into her wet slit, hearing her moan out my name, over and over again while I gently rock back and forth against her, picking up momentum gradually as I immerse myself into the touch of her heated skin and the tone of pleasure coming from her voice. Elena's muscles quiver and her body comes alive when she calls out my name, her eyes close and she lurches forward, losing control of herself and allowing me to take control.

"Stefan…Ohhh, Stefan..Baby, please…Please don't stop." She cries out in between the breathless moans that escape past her lips. I watch her nearly want to implode from the pleasure as she begins closing her eyes and arching her body forward while my mouth moves to stimulate her breasts and I can feel her body trembling. My tongue flicking her right nipple, kissing the middle of her chest as I move to her left breast, kissing and nipping at her skin. Her hand tangles into my hair, her eyes shoot open as she moans loudly while I feel time stand still and we both cum at the same time as she stammers out. "I want you all over me. I want to feel you inside of me." Elena pulls me down to her, opening her mouth as she kisses me, her tongue dancing and tangling with mine before she pulls away and says in a sinful tone. "That was amazing…Stefan," She pauses, locking her eyes on to mine as she places her hand onto my chest and searches for the right words while she smiles. "I love you so much, baby."

"I love you too, sweetheart." I reply back, tirelessly falling back onto the mattress, catching my breath as I pull her against my chest, my hand slipping into her hair with the taste of her still upon my lips. I can feel myself drifting, sleep seeming to calm me while I pull the sheets and Elena closer, never wanting to let her go or have her leave my side. "I never want to be without you." I comment softly, yawning as she stirs in my arms and says in a sleepy tone while lacing our fingers together. "I could never imagine my life without you and I never want to. I love you too, Stefan. I always will."

My mind drifts away from the happiness of our life together as I think about everything we've been through as a couple. I'm scared to leave her. I'm scared that I'll never see my brother again, my friends and most of all- our children. Sam and Olivia can't grow up without me! The idea of my own children being raised by Elena alone sends shivers down my spine and propels me to keep fighting. "Help me!" I scream out, hours have passed since I've been down here, I know that because it's getting darker and darker through the crack in the wood that possible leads to my freedom. I can smell gasoline all over the place, dripping from some pipes above my head, the smoke surrounds me and the wet water dripping from the still blazing fire makes me nervous. "Help me!" I scream out again, waiting, praying. It's dark and cold. Everything within my body hurts and my head is killing me. I'm bleeding from somewhere because I can feel a gush of blood against my leg whenever I try to move. Trying to reach down with my ripped glove, I touch my leg. I've got a major cut in my uniform and there's no doubt that it's making me lose a lot of blood because I'm starting to feel really light headed and sick to my stomach.

"Please! Someone, save me!" I scream out in a hoarse tone, giving it one last try before the searing pain overcomes me once more and I close my eyes, giving in. Giving the darkness and pain a chance to finally find me. I close my eyes because I can't fight it anymore. The truth is that even if they find me now, my oxygen levels have gone so low that I'll be unconscious soon. Maybe death will find me before else does? Maybe I'll be dead soon and free of all the pain. Maybe, death will come sooner than anyone else will to save me from this misery.

Damon

"We have to go back in there!" I frantically scream out, glaring at Tyler and the fire chief from firehouse 54 who has decided to call it quits and let the blaze burn out. "I can't risk anymore of my men getting caught in that blaze!" A familiar voice echoes out, over the loud noises of the fire trucks engines, the water hoses and the police department. Turning around, my eyes meet his and I see Patrick standing in front of us with his crisp white button up shirt and a walkie talkie in his hands, spitting out orders left and right to those around him and those on the other end of the device in his hands.

"You're the one calling the shots?" Anger fuels my movements as I nearly lunge at him, meanwhile noticing that Tyler's hands have stopped me from kicking his fucking ass because he won't let me back in there. He won't let me save the one person in my whole entire life that has been my best friend. My younger brother.

"Salvatore. I said that we're pulling back. The damn building exploded just an hour ago. I know that your brother is trapped inside. But, Damon, it's too dangerous to allow anyone else in there! This isn't a request, it's an order!" He demands, crossing his arms over his chest as I glare past Tyler's shoulders and attempt to push my way back to the building. "Fuck you and your orders, Patrick! Fuck you and your stupid rules! My brother's in there!" I yell out, my eyes narrowing as I watch another explosion happen in front of us and I take a step back, clutching my hair. If Stefan's alive, he's most likely badly injured and barely breathing. If he's alive, he's running out of time.

"Damon! Damon!" Tyler hollers out my name as I run towards our truck, taking some of the equipment that I'll need and luging it over my shoulder. I'm ready to go back inside and save him. Someone needs to do something and I don't give a fucking shit about Patrick's demands and orders. "Going back inside would be a suicide mission!" Patrick snarls out as I ignore his comments and rush back in, pulling my face shield over my head and silently praying that I'll find him.

Moisten wood cracks under my boots when I take a few steps inside of the warehouse, the heat from the still raging fire makes me take a step back and suddenly, I realize what I'm doing. "Don't go in there, Damon!" Matt says to me, pulling me back by one of the many straps on my uniform and forcing me look at the bigger picture. "Damon, if he's still alive. He doesn't have much time left. There are leaks from a gas line and if someone hits that, this whole damn structure could go up in an even bigger explosion and inferno." He says to me, watching as I remove my shield and my tired eyes begin to well up with tears. "He's my brother, Matt! He's my fucking little brother and I can't lose him. Please, Matt. Let me go back in there! Let me save him!" I'm screaming with him, pleading and begging in a hopeless tone because no one seems to even give a shit that Stefan's near death in there.

Matt glances down at the ground, pulling me back as we both feel the heat rising from the building, another explosion rocks the ground as he tightens his grip upon my shoulder when he says. "Stefan would hate me if anything happened to you too. So, I can't let you go back in there, Damon. Another team is looking for him. Please, go back to the firehouse and wait for news. Do it for Stefan." He urges on as I feel my legs begin to give in and I drop to the ground, the equipment that I had carried to try and attempt my mission of being a savior to my little brother scatters all around me. My misty feeling eyes make everything around me cloudy as I look up at the darkened night sky and scream out his name, sobbing while my fists small into the concrete and I state in a heart wrenching tone. "I can't lose him, Matt! I can't let Stefan die alone in there! You need to let me back in! Please, someone needs to save him!"

Helplessness surrounds me two hours later when I finally make it back to the fire station. I slide my exhausted body down against the locker room doors, slamming my already bloodied fist against the locker before I sink into the defeat I feel, sitting silently on the floor. Tyler and Patrick ordered me back to the firehouse to wait for news about Stefan. One of them also said that they needed to inform Elena of the recent events. I couldn't do it. I'm too emotionally wound up and drained to face my soon to be sister in law and tell her that my little brother could never be coming home again. I'm a loser of a brother too, since I couldn't even fight off the others to go back into the warehouse and try to save him.

Tears cover my eyes as I lean my head back, feeling the cold tile floor against my hands and feet while I sit and wait for news. The loud ringing of my cell phone shakes me to my very core. Scrambling to my feet, I exhale deeply before answering it. "I'm never going to forgive myself, Bon." I tell her, listening as she inhales a deep breath before she speaks, "Baby, what's going on? Are you alright? Have you heard anything yet?" Bonnie asks me, her questions causing me to choke back tears as I close my eyes and mutter out the news about Stefan and how I still haven't heard anything. How scared I am that they'll find him dead and that I'll be the one to blame. Because, I had the chance to save him and I didn't.

"Damon, they're going to find him. It's Stefan. Baby, your brother is smart and resourceful, he's going to make it out of this alive." She says with an encouraging tone as I hear the loud swinging and shutting of the locker room door behind me and I turn around, I notice Patrick standing there. He's covered in soot and he's got scratches and burn marks on his face as the look on his face makes my heart drop. Clearing my throat, I tell my wife that I love her and that I'll keep her posted on news. Hanging up the phone, my exhausted body is held up by the little energy I have left while I turn to face my former boss.

"Damon," Patrick begins to say, wiping away the soot from his left brow as he takes a seat on the bench beside me and sighs out a breath. I notice a familiar helmet in his hands as he gives me a heartbroken look. "I went back in once the fire was under control and this is all we could find of his. Tyler, Matt, myself and a few others from 54 went in to do a recovery mission." He says to me as I question his words. "Recovery mission?"

Standing up a bit straighter, I slam my fist against the locker room lockers again, yelling at him while my hands bleed. I want to feel as much pain as I can, I want to hate myself for just giving up as I stare him directly in the eyes. "We only do recovery missions when someone's dead, Patrick! We only recovery bodies and…And…" Trying to stammer out my words fail when Patrick's hand lays on my shoulder and he grips it gently as he says. "We tried everything we could to get him out alive. But, it was clear to us that he's perished in the fire. The helmet and a few other of his belongings were the only things that we were able to find before the whole first floor of the building collapsed inward and nearly could have gotten us killed as well." He pauses, placing Stefan's burnt and soot covered helmet on to the bench behind me as he adds in with a mournful tone. "I'm so very sorry, Damon. We've decided to call off the search and make it a recovery mission, for his body. Because, it's very unlikely that he's still alive. Damon, it's been hours since the accident and I have no doubt in my mind that your brother, Stefan…" His voice hitches and trails off as he finally says the two words that I've been trying to deny over the last few hours since Stefan's been missing in the warehouse fire. Patrick pivots on his heels as removes his hand away from my shoulder and says in a low voice before leaving the room. "Stefan's dead."

Elena

I close the door to Sam and Olivia's room as I lean against it. I'm exhausted and it's already late in the night. Stefan should have been home hours ago already and whenever I try to call his cell phone it goes start to voicemail. I don't want to think the worst. But, I'm thinking it as I walk to the front door of the house, sitting down on the steps and looking up at the stars. Like Stefan and I had done when we were younger and dating. It was one of my favorite things and even though sometimes he thought it was ridiculously silly, he eventually indulged in it too.

The night is crisp and cool, almost as if we're supposed to be getting another storm of cold weather. My mind's racing with the unthinkable as I remember what I had told him early this morning. I sit here, eagerly waiting with the cell phone in my hands, ready to call the fire station and ready to ask what's going on because that same uneasy feeling from this morning has returned. But, the sound of the gravel from our driveway makes my heart stop when I see the car, the familiar blue police car that is the same one that goes to police officer's homes after a tragedy. My eyes never leave it as they park in front of our house, my hands begin to shake and tears fill my eyes while I watch those two familiar faces both step out.

Tyler takes off his hat, he's dressed in his dark blue uniform as he makes his way towards me. Watching me cover my mouth, my tears and gasps and cries filling the air instantly because I know why they're here. Matt steps out of the car too, leaning against it, his head down and tears in his eyes as he hears Tyler clear his throat and in a shaky tone, tell me the one that thing that I had been fearing.

"Elena Gilbert, I'm so sorry to have to tell you this. But-" Tyler tries to say as I lean against him, raising my fists to punch at his chest because I already know that those words of his are going to kill me. But, Tyler's rough hands stop my actions and he wraps his arms around me tightly as I cry.

"Elena," He tries to say again. I'm inconsolable and too heartbroken to even comprehend all the words that he's telling me. All I know is that my worst fears have come true and yet, I'm filled with denial and anger. "No, no, no, no, no! He's not dead! It's Stefan, we're talking about. Tyler, please. He can't be! Tyler, please he's not dead! They made a mistake. You guys made a mistake. Stefan's okay. He's just trapped in the warehouse fire, waiting to be rescued. Please, Tyler go back and look for him. Please, do you fucking job and go back and look for him! Please, bring him back to me. Tyler, bring Stefan home to me!" I sob over and over again as I stand there in the cold, Stefan's sweatshirt still around me, tightly keeping me warm. It's lost the touch and sentiment it once had as I shake from the bone chilling air that surrounds us and I cry into the night, cursing the fire department and the fire station. Blaming myself for allowing him to leave me, to leave us.

"I'm sorry, Elena. We searched for hours and all we found was his helmet. Patrick's ordered us to look for his body. We haven't found anything yet. But, everything points to the idea that Stefan died in the warehouse blaze. I'm so sorry that he's gone." Tyler tells me in a soft tone as I crash against his shoulder, clutching onto him with all the strength I have left to stand. I can feel as he supports my now fragile body while I close my eyes and it starts to sink in. The love of my life, the man that I had planned to live out the rest of my life with is gone. He's gone and he's never come back home. Not to me, not to his brother or his friends and most heart breakingly, not to his son and daughter.

Katherine

"Calvin, Neal." I smile at them both, placing the money on the table in front of us as I glance around the room and notice that Neal, the man that we're supposed to be buying our drugs from seems overly nervous about our deal.

"Something wrong?" Klaus asks him as he adds in that everything that he needs is in the suitcase as he requested.

"For the record, I don't trust either of you." He comments, glaring at both of us as I notice the sudden nervousness in Calvin as well, who pulls out a gun and demands that we promise him that we're not going to tell anyone about our dealings. My cell phone in my pocket comes to life, a pinging noise alerts the two men as Neal opens the suitcase and glances over the money, noticing our own con on the two of them. "These are counterfeit $100 dollar bills!" He shouts, turning his head to his partner in crime as he orders him to kill us both. However, just as Klaus and I think that we're about to die in cold blood, a large explosion next door within the warehouse knocks us to our feet and the room fills with a foul odor, a gasoline like smell.

"Kill them!" Neal screams, shooting off a few rounds as I look over at Klaus with fear in my eyes. "Shoot back, injure them both if you have to do it. Klaus, don't kill them. But, it's better that they die than us." I tell him, keeping my eyes closed as I hear him pick himself up off of the ground, the shell casings falling to the ground as the two men shoot at us and Klaus shoots back. Before I know it, I hear them screaming and then everything goes silent.

My eyes open to the feeling of Klaus's hand on my back as he orders me off the ground. "They're dead, Katherine. We need to cover this up. Neither you nor I can go back to jail for murder. So, we need to set this place a blaze and make it all go up in flames. I don't give a damn if this whole building catches fire." He tells me, shouting that he's got some gas cans in the back of his truck and that we need to use those to make the warehouse go up in flames.

"I told you that no one should have gotten hurt last night, Klaus!" He hears me yell at him as I slam the door to his car and glare over at him. Telling him to take me back to our apartment because we need to get out of town as soon as possible. The two high profile criminals that we met with late last night at two in the morning turned on us out of nowhere and Klaus stupidly shot at them, killing one of them and really badly wounding the other guy.

"I didn't think anyone would, love. The firefighter texted you last night again during our meeting, asking to meet for some of our supply and that's what set up this whole dilemma. Blame him, not me." He winks, shrugging his shoulders back as we look across the street to the warehouse that we had been in, part of it is still up in flames. That's when I make a bold choice.

"Calvin shot at me last night, love. I'm lucky to be alive and as much as it sucks, I'm lucky that we covered it up and killed them." He tells me as I glance down at my shaking hands, thinking my idea over in my head for a bit.

"Neal was wounded, Klaus. He might still be alive. We need to go back in there to see if he's there. We need to make sure that there aren't any survivors. No one can know about this." I tell him, noticing that his eyes are trained and focused in on the last remaining fire truck that's leaving the parking lot. It's already late in the night, a little past 10:30 and the fire that they had been fighting seems to all be nearly extinguished, all the remains is what looks like a hollowed out structure.

"Drive me out back to the warehouse. I need to make sure that he's dead too." I comment finally making the choice, hearing him huffing out a breath as he quickly follows my demands and Klaus parks in the parking lot, keeping his eyes open widely when he turns to me, grabbing my wrist.

"It's already burnt to hell, Katherine. He's dead. But, just so that you don't become a very annoying pain in my ass. Go in there and look for yourself. Be careful though, it looks like the structure is still smoldering." He says with annoyance in his voice, letting my wrist go and telling me that he's going to go park on the side of the burnt out building, on a patch of grass as I go inside to look around.

The remnants of the smoke fill my lungs while I make my way back inside to the building, ignoring the excessive texts from Matt Donovan while my phone vibrates in my back pocket. I can't recognize anything from the abandoned building that we had been in from last night, except for some of the fallen and burnt up concrete that has graffiti on it. "Neal!" I shout out his name, listening to the silence and convincing myself that in fact, Klaus was right. Neal was wounded badly enough that he died in the blaze we had set.

"Neal! You son of a bitch! I hope you're dead!" I shout out again, mumbling how it would save me the trouble of killing him myself while looking around the burnt out structure as I turn to leave, taking out my cell phone to glance through Matt's texts. However, the moment I take another step out to where the car is parked at. I hear a very faint knocking sound, almost as if someone is hitting against something, a piece of metal beam.

"Neal?" I yell out, hearing it become a bit louder as I stay quiet for a few minutes, waiting. Another knock hits and echoes around me. This time, it's much louder and it follows a very faint groaning noise, like someone's in a lot of pain and agony. "Neal!" I shout out, stopping myself in my tracks as the sound becomes louder and louder, a weakened and strained voice finally calls out to my shouting as it says. "Help me! Someone, please. Help me! I'm still alive! Tell them that I'm still alive. I'm really badly hurt and I'm bleeding. But, I'm still in here!"

A/N: I just...my heart hurts for Stefan.

Feel free to leave me a review. Until next time!


	44. Chapter 44

Hey all! I had a really hard time writing this chapter. But, I hope you all still enjoy it somewhat. Thanks so much for reading!

-Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty-Four

Stefan

I can feel myself falling, I'm burning up and all I can see is her face, see her dark brown eyes staring down at me in confusion as she tugs at my clothing. Eventually, her cold hands are hitting against my skin while she yells into the cold air.

"Wake up! Damn it! Come on! Wake UP!" She screams at me aggressively, worry in her tone as I feel my body being dragged against what feels like a field of wet grass. I can't see much, because it's dark, it's pitch black outside and my eyesight seems to be really weak and off. But, I can see her face in the headlights from a car, the engine rumbling loudly in the background as she yells to him for help. I can hear his accent speaking to her in a hurried tone, he's British. Telling her that they need to get the hell out of there, NOW! I'm half-awake for it, half asleep and I'm weak as all hell, my lungs are filled with god knows what. I can't breathe and I'm struggling to remember. I can't really remember anything, anything at all except for the fact that I have deep cuts and burns on my body and that I was supposed to be home hours ago. Elena, she pops into my mind for a little while, until she fades away. I wonder if she knows by now. I wonder if she can sense it? That I'm still alive and I'm clinging on to hope that someone that I love and care for will find me. Not these people though, I don't feel safe with them. Just as I feel someone place their hands onto me, I moan out in excruciating pain. They're taking me somewhere and I'm scared as everything turns to darkness and goes black! The last I can hear is the final few sentences that they speak to each other before I'm placed in what I know is there awaiting car.

"This was a bad idea! What if he wakes up and remembers who we are!" She says in a soft tone as I hear him reply simply, sounding relaxed and calm. "Don't worry, darling, I'm a doctor. We saved his life, he'll be thankful and plus. If he's lucky...He'll have a concussion, or amnesia and won't remember a damn thing from any of this. From who he was before and what's going on now. We just need to get him far away from New York. Far away from everything that could be a trigger to him. Besides, maybe this was supposed to happen like this, I was getting really bored of this city."

"We need to take him to a hospital, Klaus! He could die on us and then we'll be charged with murder of a firefighter on top of all the other things that we have against us, already! That warehouse has our names written all over it! And, so does that restaurant fire that we set months ago that killed that owner and that other kid." She argues with him. I'm in and out of consciousness. Although my mind screams at me. They're the ones who killed Rosie and Luke? They're criminals and I'll be a dead man soon. I'm weak to try and escape. God, they should have just left me to die. Moving my body hurts like hell. The burns are deep in my skin and I know for a fact that I'll have scars all over the place. I can feel the leather underneath my head as I lay down and close my eyes, everything hurts me and my memory is spotty, my head is throbbing from the pain as my eyes begin to close. But, I can make out bits and pieces of his words while I try my hardest to listen to them and their plan.

"We lie. Katherine, we have to lie about this! Listen, they left him for dead out in that warehouse, anyways. They think he's dead and not coming back. So, it doesn't matter who he was or who he is. We're going to say that when we found him, he was badly burned and we saved his life. We're going to make him a new life. He was in a very bad car accident. We saw the smoke and rushed to helped after everyone left. I'm a doctor and I found him. Once he gets better, he can stay with you. And, if he ever asks about his past life, Katherine...You make sure you lie about it too! We're not going back to prison. But, we're not letting him go either. He's like our prisoner now. If he wakes up, we tell him his name is Stefan Webber. Since, it says his name is Stefan on the inside of his fire protective jacket. We'll figure out the rest...eventually." He says in a soothing British accent as I groan out in pain once more, clutching my head while I lean against the back seat of the car, that's moving so fast. Everything around me is spinning and my skin feels raw and burnt. I try to listen further, to find out where they'll take me and what else they have in store for me. But, my head is pounding and is causing my eyesight to become blurry. Before I black out again, I see her turn towards me, her eyes remind me of Elena's as she says in a sweet tone while caressing my dirt covered cheek.

"I'll make sure that you live a life that will never make you want to go back to the one you had. I can promise you that, Stefan." She says to me almost seductively, her fingertips slipping away from my face just as everything in my line of sight disappears and I close my eyes again, losing consciousness for good this time.

Klaus

Being a good liar involves never allowing the person you're lying to, to notice that you're lying to them. I take out the chart in my hands as I adjust the white lab coat against my body. We drove for hours and days with him in the car. Barely stopping anywhere as I tended to his wounds and made sure that he didn't die on us. Luckily for me, I do actually have the credentials for a doctorate. Before, I met Katherine I had been going to medical school and I finished my degree. However, what made me stop was getting caught with a very nasty case of a prescription pill addiction. Katherine was my supplier, she knew people who knew others and soon afterwards, my license was revoked.

The sun shines through the white blinds as I clear my throat and squint out at it. I called a friend of mine and asked him for some supplies, a few monitors and other things that I could get my hands on to make this room we're in look like a hospital room. When really, it's just a basement to a house that I'm newly renting. My thought is that once he gets better, we'll get rid of the evidence and he'll move in with Katherine at another location.

"Elena?" He whimpers out, thrashing about as he closes his eyes again and I inject him with more morphine.

"Who the hell is Elena?" Katherine rolls her eyes, seeming a bit irritated and unnerved by our newly obtained patient and his constant need for this girl, the one he seems to love and care for.

"Someone he clearly really loved." I reply back, tossing Katherine the wallet we had found on Stefan when we dragged him through the grass and out to our car. She looks through his things, ignoring the photos before taking the rest of the cash out and stuffing it into her pocket. I watch Katherine get up as she leans into my ear and says with a hint of irritation. "I really hope that he remembers nothing of his time in New York. Because, if he doesn't, we are both very screwed. Now, let's hope that when he wakes up from this delusion that he's in. He forgets about this Elena girl and starts loving the Florida sunshine. Or, I'll have to really work my magic on this one." Katherine watches me cross my arms over my chest as she walks towards the door, pushing it open a little before she turns to me and adds in an agitated tone. "This was your idea anyways, taking him as far as we could. So, here we are. In Florida, might as well get comfortable and make it our new home. Besides, having someone else besides you around me, might be a good thing."

Elena

"Elena," He's quiet at first. His voice is barely above a whisper as he knocks on the master bedroom door. I'm not really sure how long he's been standing out there. But, I'm sure it's been quite a while.

"Elena. Please, let me in." His voice hitches as I turn away from the door, my fingers tracing my engagement ring and my tears dampening the pillowcase underneath my head. It smells like him. Everything smells like Stefan in this room, in the sheets and in the fabric of his clothes. His sweatshirt clings to me and I don't want to move an inch away from my newly found safe haven.

"It's been a week and you've barely let anyone inside." He swallows the bitter taste, those particular words probably leave in his mouth as I bury my face into the pillow, inhaling deeply. Wanting to tell him to leave me the fucking hell alone.

"You can go fuck yourself, Tyler! You and your whole fucking team. Tell the department to find my fiancé. Tell the fucking NYFD to fuck off until they bring Stefan home. Back to me! Back to Sam and Olivia. Because-." My voice cracks and the anger dissipates for a minute, I can't seem to finish the sentence before the rest of my words get lodged in the back of my throat. Yet, I still manage to say those words.

"Elena, please." I hear another familiar voice, his tone coated with the familiar sound of self-hatred. Clearing his throat, he seems to be talking to Tyler as I slowly lift my head, trying to hear a little bit better.

"Let me in." He urges again, making me finally get up off the bed and open the door. Damon's standing there, a saddened expression sweeping across his face as he lifts his right hand and points to the takeout food in the bag. "I brought comfort food." He comments, giving Tyler a knowing look as I simply look at him and ask if my kids are okay with Caroline. He nods, right before I shut the door in his face.

"I'm not any good at this." Damon says to me in a truthful tone, hesitantly taking a seat on the bed as I flop down on it, crossing my legs over one another while looking through the bag of food. I shove a French fry in my mouth while talking in between bites.

"Comforting people in their time of need? Yeah, Stefan told me that you were never good at that type of thing. He said that you just don't know what to say. He actually told me once when you and him had to go out to some old woman's house and do a death notification that you patted her on the shoulder and told her to keep her chin up." Damon leans back on to the bed, nearly choking on the French fry in his mouth as he coughs out a breath and laughs.

I wonder what it feels like to laugh again? I haven't laughed, even a little bit in weeks.

"Yeah, Stefan had me on that one…." His voice trails off when we both suddenly feel a rush of sadness wash over the subject at hand.

"Damon," My voice is soft and small as I turn towards him, watching his blue eyes look back at me. "Yeah?" He questions, adjusting himself so that he's propped up by one of his elbows.

"Do you think he was in pain?" My voice is quivering as I feel the weight of my question, so many unanswered thoughts race through my mind as I try to replay that early morning in my head. I remember telling him that I loved him and that I really didn't want him to go. I had a feeling that things weren't going to go as planned, which Stefan at the time thought was a little over the top.

"I don't think so." Damon says to me, closing his eyes as I lean against his shoulder, feeling the tears that I had been holding back since the moment he walked into the bedroom I had once shared with his brother consume me. "I miss him, Damon. I miss him so much and I don't think that I can go to it tomorrow. I can't say goodbye to him, I don't know how." My voice cracks, as I lean into Damon's shoulder, feeling myself slump into him. I'm exhausted from everything. I'm aching and I can't shake the feeling that maybe the department was wrong. It's been only a week since Stefan was declared dead. And, since they didn't find a body and the investigation was still underway, Patrick finally declared it a cased closed this week and that Stefan's 'remains' would be buried tomorrow in the evening at a memorial service for him.

"I know, Elena. But, you won't be alone. All of us will be there to support you." He says to me, kissing my temple as he holds my hand and allows me to cry into the crook of his neck, Damon stays silent as he glances up when the door pushes open and Bonnie comes walking in slowly. Through my tears, I grab her hand, kissing it and telling her how thankful I am for her and for Damon.

I notice that she's crying too, choking back on her own emotions. Bonnie, leans into me and grabs her husband's hand as she whispers into the silence all around us. "Tomorrow isn't going to be easy, Elena. The next day won't be either and the months and years to follow are going to be hell sometimes. But, I promise you that over time, you'll heal and even though it will still hurt. One day, you'll wake up and it's not going to hurt that much anymore. I miss him too, Elena. He was a great man and I miss him too."

A/N: Please feel free to leave me a review! Until Next Time!


	45. Chapter 45

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty-Five

Elena

Dear Stefan,

I don't know how to do this.

I don't know how to say goodbye to you and I don't know how I'm going to move on.

Move on? I don't think I ever will. The days are all blending together and tomorrow I have to find the courage to do it. I have to say those words to you, to us.. I have to say goodbye….

He squeezes my hand as I watch the cherry oak colored casket being lowered into the ground and behind us all, I hear the loud noises of the 21-gun salute. The radio blares loudly when I turn towards Matt and bury my face into the curve of his neck. I don't know why I'm clinging to him. Maybe it was because he was the closest to me and the only person who didn't have anyone else to hold onto as everyone around me broke down about Stefan and held onto their own partners. Maybe it was because Stefan told Matt and Damon that if anything ever happened to him, they'd be responsible to help out his family.

"This is the final call for firefighter Stefan Salvatore. A beloved brother, son, friend and fiancé…." The radio cuts out as it repeats one last time. "This is the final call for firefighter Stefan Salvatore. May he never be forgotten. Stefan Salvatore. Engine 22. Firehouse 17. Beloved brother, father, son, friend and fiancé. Final call for our lost brother, Stefan Salvatore. "

Matt rubs the middle of my back as I feel myself shaking uncontrollably. My head feels light and my legs feel like jelly. I'm going to faint any minute; I can feel it.

"Elena." Matt whispers softly into my ear as I lift my head up and notice that the memorial is over. Bonnie's holding the shadow box that Patrick had handed me earlier at the church service which contains Stefan's badge and the American Flag. "We should go…" His voice trails off as I shake my head.

"I don't want to leave him…" I tell them before collapsing onto the ground and sobbing. I can't hold it in any longer. I can't allow myself to grieve in silence anymore. Bonnie was right, locking myself in the bedroom and dealing with things wasn't the best thing for me. This however, feeling all this pain burst inside of my heart. It hurts like hell. But, it feels right.

"Let me handle this…" Caroline says in what sounds like a muffled tone to my ears. I'm focused on the fresh soil under my fingernails and the white roses that drape his casket. I'm too catatonic to even comprehend what's happening, that is until I see Patrick standing behind Caroline and I push myself up, screaming at him.

"YOU DID THIS! YOU TOOK HIM AWAY FROM ME! YOU SON OF A BITCH, HOW COULD YOU!" I'm screaming so loudly that a few of the mourners that are half way back to the parking lot have stopped to turn to look at the distraught young woman whose fiancé just died.

"Miss Gilbert…" He shakes his head, trying to tell me that it wasn't his fault and to calm down. That they had just been doing their jobs and that Stefan had just happened to get trapped inside of the warehouse.

"Don't you dare, Miss Gilbert me! Patrick Murphy! You hated Stefan since he broke up with your whore of a daughter, Makayla! You hated him and you left him for dead. You wanted him to die! The damn team could have gone back inside. But, you chose to have them pull back!" My nerves are shot to hell from not sleeping and I'm seething mad. I can feel my blood boiling as Patrick looks me over and pats me on the shoulder. His darkened gaze meets mine as he helplessly says. "Elena, I know that you're angry with me and you're looking for someone to blame. I swear, my department or myself had nothing to do with this tragic accident. Now, please, will someone escort Miss Gilbert home before she makes another scene?"

"Tragic accident?" Scoffing, I bite my lip and shake my head. My fists are clenched so tightly that my nails are digging into my skin as I speak in a bit of a softer tone. "Stefan's death wasn't a tragic accident. Your god damn disgrace of a fire department murdered him. You murdered my fiancé! And I swear to God that when I find out more about who did it. This won't be the last that you or anyone at Firehouse 17 has seen of me. Remember my face, Patrick. Remember it well, because you'll be seeing it a lot more often from now on. I want answers and I won't be giving up until I get them. I won't be giving up on him. Because, he would have never given up on me!" I spit my words out, my fingers shaking as I point back to myself and Patrick stands there, his mouth gaped open as Caroline wraps her arm around me, ushering me away before I can utter anymore anger filled insults or words.

"Sweetheart, let's go. It's okay." She says in an almost motherly tone as she pulls me close and I notice that Tyler's standing near her car door with Sam and Olivia in their stroller, waiting for us.

"She looks just like him." Tyler comments, leaning against the doorway as I slowly begin rocking Olivia to sleep. Her eyes flutter close while she nettles into me and I lean my head back, closing my eyes. "I'm sorry about earlier today, the things I said about the department and-." Tyler takes a step further inside, taking a seat on the edge of the bed while I adjust Olivia in my arms. He glances over at a picture of the guys, all of them together in front of the firehouse on a training day. It was when everyone was happy and okay. Back to the days when Daniel was alive and Stefan and I had just started dating. Back when I was happy.

"Things change, Elena. You know, I loved this job when I first started out. I was as eager as Stefan was in the beginning because I wanted to know all that I could about everything and I wanted to save lives. Don't get me wrong, I still want to save lives. But, at what cost? This job has killed more people that you and I care about more than anything I've ever seen. Daniel during the forest fire, Rose and Luke. It nearly killed me and now, it took Stefan away from us." He chokes on the last bit of his sentence as he exhales heavily and then says. "I'd do anything to have them back right now, if only I could. So, don't you dare say that you're sorry. Because, if I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be. I'd be angry as hell for what this job has taken away." I follow his movements as he slowly gets up from the bed and comes over to Olivia and I. Her eyes are starting to drift close as Tyler leans down and kisses her on the forehead.

I can hear him whisper ever so softly. "Your daddy loved you and wanted you and your brother very much, Olivia Marie. I swear that your uncles will do the best that we can to fill the void of him not being here anymore. You and Sam will never feel unloved by any of us. And, we'll do the best we can to make sure you know who your daddy is. A wonderful man that I'm going to miss very very much, sweetheart."

His cheeks are wet as he inhales deeply and glances over at me. Tyler places his hand onto my cheek and caresses it as he says. "You're not alone in this, Elena. You never will be. I know that Damon, myself or Matt won't ever be able to replace him. But, I promise that we'll make sure that you'll never have to feel alone." He doesn't say anything else as he leaves the room, just a quick glance back at me while I lay there, tears streaming down my face and the memory of Stefan never wanting to leave my mind.

Dear Stefan,

This is the second time today that I've tried to write to you. I can't seem to find the right words and it breaks my heart because there are so many things that I want to say to you. So many unsaid words and promises. So many things that mean nothing now.

But, most of all, I want to tell you this.

I miss you, baby. I miss you and I love you so much.

Earlier today, I didn't know how I was going to say goodbye to you.

Although, I think I've figured it out now. I'll never really say goodbye. I guess what I'll be saying from now on is… Until next time when I can write to you and I know that wherever you are that you'll be looking down on me and you'll be listening.

So, until we meet again my love.

With all my love,

Elena.

Caroline

"Matt volunteered to stay the night with her. Just to watch over things and help out." I comment when Tyler makes his way into Elena's kitchen. Pointing to an empty box on the floor, I tell him that I've been trying to help her organize things in the house too so that it would be easier for her to keep things clean.

"That's good." Tyler says, shrugging his shoulders back as I lean against the kitchen counter and look down at my wedding ring. Silence overcomes the room for a long time before either of us says a word.

"I don't want things to be awkward between us, Tyler. Look, I know that we all lost Stefan today and that you're going to be dealing with that in your own way, just like you did with Daniel's death. But, I just want you to know that when you're ready to talk about everything. I'll be here, I promise." He hears me say, just as my hand catches the door while he walks out of house and I giving him a pleading look, one that almost says, please don't leave me again.

"I don't know what you want to me say, Caroline. Now isn't the time to talk about us." He tells me, his tone is riddled with anger that I had even brought it up. But, I miss my husband! I miss him so damn much and now, after everything, I need him.

Swallowing the lump growing in my throat that's threatening for my tears to spill over my cheeks, I speak in a shaky tone. "I want you to tell me that you'll fight for us. That you miss me as much as I miss you because this separation is killing me! I don't know how to do this, Tyler! I don't know how to be without you!"

I watch him pivot towards me and away from the truck. His right foot steps up on to the first step of Elena's porch as he shakes his head, wiping away tears. "Don't do this, Caroline. Don't make me feel guilty and worse than I already do. Damn it, I just buried my best friend! We buried Stefan today! I watched the left over remains from the guy I mentored and became really close with, be lowered into the ground and I'm still wondering why life has to be so unfair? He was supposed to marry her! He was supposed to live a long life with those kids, inside of this damn house! He was supposed to watch them graduate, get married and have children of their own. Now, that's all gone. And, we're still here. I'm still fucking here, Caroline! So, tell me, Caroline. Please, tell me, why do the things that we love more than anything in this world get shredded to pieces? Why am I still here?"

He scoffs, glancing down at his boots while he says. "You want to know why? I lived because Stefan saved my life once. I lived. But, really, I should have been the one to die!" His eyes are bloodshot and his face is red as he takes another step onto to the porch. Tyler's standing in front of me with tears cascading down his cheeks as he reaches out to me and I pull him into my embrace.

The coolness of his hands caress my cheeks as he pulls me closer and cries into the curve of my neck. "I miss him, Care. I miss him and I miss you. I just, I need more time. I need more time to figure things out, before we can work on us again. Please, baby. Please, understand that. " He says while both of us are crying against each other's shoulders as I run my fingers through my husband's hair, soothing his cries with my own truth. "I know you do. Because, after today, nothing is going to ever be the same anymore. So, it's okay. Tyler, take as much time as you need. I'll be here. I promise."

Matt

"Thank you, for staying." Elena says as she takes a seat next to me on the couch after leaving the bedroom and turning the baby monitor on. She looks exhausted from everything and looking at her now, it makes my heart ache.

Turning to me, she fixes her hair a little bit and places her hands onto her lap. "I know that you and I have had our differences in the past. But, Stefan really liked you and he had always said that if anything ever happened to him…" Her voice breaks, she exhales out a breath before continuing her heart wrenching words. "Matt, I just wanted to say thank for helping me out in these last few days and over the last week. It means a lot to me and I know that Stefan would have appreciated this."

I shrug my shoulders back, giving her a saddened smile as I place my hand on to hers. Her hands are cold and her face looks worn out and tired. Encouraging words would be the best at the moment as she leans her head onto my shoulder and closes her eyes. "I'm really tired, Matt. I am really tired from this life. And, I miss him. God," She pauses, her voice breaking again when I notice that as she moves her face a smidge that she's crying against my shoulder. "I wish he was here right now. I wish he was here right now because I can't do this, Matt. I can't live without him." She cries, sniffling into my shirt as I move my hand, gently rubbing her back.

"I know, you do. I miss him too. But, you're wrong, Elena. You can do this. You're amazing." I tell her, watching as her head lifts up from my shoulder and she looks at me through her tears. Backing away from me, she wipes at her eyes and mumbles a soft "I'm sorry" in my direction.

"It's okay." She hears me say as we sit in silence, her on one side of the couch and myself on the other. I know that after a while I should say something. However, I've just never really been that great at comforting someone with their grief.

"I'm sorry too." I tell her, hearing her shift back towards me as I glance down at my hands and admit my guilt. "Stefan died because of me. I haven't been doing that great and I've been using, prescription pills for my shoulder pain. I thought I had it under control. But, I had been abusing them for a few weeks before the warehouse fire and I sent him upstairs to secure the perimeter that day. I was high that day and I wasn't thinking of how dangerous it was. Elena, Stefan died because of me and I am so sorry."

When I glance back up at her, I see the rage. Her heart shattering into a million pieces as she locks her eyes on to me and says in a stern tone. "Matthew Donovan. Get out! Get the hell out of my house before my children wake up."

She must notice the confused look on my face as I push myself up off of the couch and I open my mouth to speak again. However, her words cut me off as she stammers out. "You son of a bitch! You wanted to stay here with me tonight on purpose. You probably thought that you'd be getting the poor heartbroken widow in between the sheets. You planned this!"

I shake my head. I didn't want that, I just wanted to tell her the truth. "No. Elena, you have me all wrong. That's not-."

"I don't give a damn, Matt. You're just as guilty as Patrick and everyone else is. I don't want to see you again. I don't want to see you anywhere near me or my children for a long time. So, you should leave and while you're gone. You can think about this." She closes her eyes, trying to catch her composure as she states while pointing back behind her to the bedroom where Sam and Olivia are sleeping. "My children will never know their father because of you. They'll never know what an amazing, kind, loving man he was. Because, they lost him to the job he loved and the best friend that he should have been able to trust with his life. Now, get out of my house and don't you ever come back!"

Stefan

Groggy and disoriented, my eyes open and I'm met with hers. She's holding my hand and gliding her thumb across the top of my skin. The room is painted a light mocha color and there are machines that are beeping and echoing. Some of them seem to be the ones that I'm attached to. She turns her back as she says to someone else in the room. "He's finally awake."

"Good." The young man replies, adjusting his lab coat as I catch the name on it that says in bold letters "Dr. Mikaelson". "You should remove the breathing tube." She adds in. I watch him nod his head as he tells me that removing the tube won't hurt that much and that I should be able to speak fairly quickly after a few hours.

"Now, Mr. Webber. You're in the hospital and you've been unconscious for several weeks. I know that you're scared and probably thinking what might have happened to you. So, my friend, Katherine is going to tell you exactly what happened." He comments as he leans the bed down and tells me to close my eyes, breath in deeply and then exhale.

An hour or two pass after the doctor removed my breathing tube and as she hands me a glass of water, I grab a hold of her hand. My eyes meet hers again and this time, my barely there voice softly says. "Who am I? What happened to me? Where am I?"

She tosses a few pieces of her chocolate curly brown hair behind her shoulder when she leans into me and comments. "Your name is Stefan Webber. You were badly burned in a car accident that I had witnessed. When I found you, there was debris everywhere and you were barely recognizable. My friend, Klaus and I. We saved your life, Stefan." She pauses for a moment, taking a hold of my hand again while she adds on in a sweet tone. "You're in a hospital, in Miami, Florida."

"Hospital?" I repeat, closing my eyes and leaning my head back while I repeat the word until it makes sense. Nothing seems to really be sticking in my mind and I feel so lost.

"Yes." She repeats as I lick my bottom lip and ask in a soft tone. "Why can't I remember it. Why can't I remember the car crash and the fire?"

The brunette that's apparently named Katherine leans forward and clasps her hand into mine as she looks me dead in the eyes and says in a worrisome tone. "I shouldn't be the one telling you this. Although, someone needs to do."

She takes a deep breath before she says in a more serious tone. "Stefan you can't remember anything because you've got amnesia."

"Amnesia?" I question the word at the end of her sentence as she nods at me again and sighs out deeply with a soft "Yes."

"Memory loss. Retrograde Amnesia." She tells me, trying to makes things a bit more concrete as I nod my head and with tears in my eyes, I lock my gaze on to hers again. She's got this aloof attitude about it all as I'm sitting there trying to sort out things in my mind. Yet, all I keep coming up with is nothing. She seems too busy with trying to keep me focused on her.

"I know that this must be really scary and hard for you to understand. But, I promise that I'll help you." She tells me, sounding a bit more secure in her words as she nods her head at me.

"You will?" I ask, searching her dark brown eyes while she nods her head. "Yes. Stefan, I promise. I'll help you remember everything." She tells me, leaning into my ear and whispering it softly as I sigh out a breath, closing my eyes and feeling exhausted.

"Just get some rest." She adds in, suddenly getting up from the seat near my bed. I keep my eyes closed, hearing the door shut behind her as I lay there, trying to come to terms with everything I've just learned. Deep down inside of the pit of my stomach, this nagging feeling jolts me awake after a few minutes. Something about this, about everything here. It doesn't feel right. I know that I can't remember who I am. But, something about being here with Katherine and the doctor feels really wrong.

"Remember, Stefan. Please, damn it! Remember!" I'm screaming internally as my eyes begin to drift close and I feel myself being welcomed by a familiar occurrence. The darkness.

A/N: Until Next Time!


	46. Chapter 46

A/N: Hey all! So, the next update will have a 6 MONTH TIME JUMP and after that, this story will have about 3-5 more chapters before I finally bring it to a close. I'm so sad to see this story ending. But, I am so glad that so many of you have really enjoyed it! :)

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty-Six

Elena

I'm not really sure what day it is anymore. To be honest, hours, days, minutes, weeks have all seemed to blend together as I fall into this pattern of a barely sleeping robot that has two newborns to feed. I'm thankful for them though. Bonnie, who's been taking turns with Damon and checking up on us. Caroline and Tyler who have put their marital issues aside and have been working together to help me with the twins every chance that they get. My brother and Zach Salvatore have probably given me and have sent way more than enough clothes for Olivia and Sam than they'll need for at least a few years.

Then, there's Matt.

He's begged and pleaded with me. He's come by some many times in the last three weeks that I'm pretty sure he's planning on building himself a tent in my front lawn until I forgive him.

Damon's decided to make me dinner this week and help clean up the house as I'm passed out on the couch or in my bedroom in between diaper changes and feedings of the twins. They've all stuck around over the last three weeks since the funeral. However, a small part of me feels guilty about what I said to Matt during my angry outbursts that day.

"You should go out there and talk to him. You know, he's not going to let this go until you guys sit down and talk. Elena, he feels like fucking shit over this." Tyler tells me, shrugging his shoulders as I roll my eyes at him, scoffing.

"He should feel like shit, Tyler. He's the reason that Stefan's gone forever!" I exclaim angrily, looking past Tyler and out my small window in the kitchen the overlooks the front lawn, Matt's sitting in the middle of it with a blanket and a beer in his right hand.

"Please, just go out there and talk to him. I know that you're angry for what he did. You have every right to be. But, Elena. You're not the only person in this room who lost Stefan. We all did. We're all mourning and so is he." I overhear Caroline say as she enters into the kitchen, leaning against the door frame that is in-between the dining room area and the living room. "Please," She pauses as I puff out a breath, shaking my head.

"Fine. But, he's lost all of my trust and that is going to take a long time to get back!" I shout out back to her while my hand grabs the doorknob that leads to the front yard and I step outside into the cold.

"In some states, camping outside of a person's house that doesn't want to see you or that doesn't give a damn about you anymore would be considered stalking!" I comment, standing beside him as he laughs, shaking his head while tossing an empty beer bottle into the garbage can beside Stefan's truck.

"I figured that if you saw how sorry I was that-." Cutting him off with a wave of my hand. I step in front of him, tucking my hair behind my ear and narrowing my eyes at him. I speak in a very direct tone. "That I'd what? Forgive you? Matt, I don't trust you anymore. I want you to know that. Also, I want you to know that Stefan may have liked you and you might have been friends with him. But, you and I aren't friends. We aren't anything and we never will be. Now, get off of my property before I have you arrested." I turn away from him, suddenly hearing as he gets up and stands just centimeters behind me. His breath tickles the back of my neck as he says in a serious and gut wrenching tone.

"You hate me now; I can clearly see that. You have every right to hate me for this. But, I swear that it wasn't intentional. And, I will do everything in my power to prove to you that I can be trusted again and make this right. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm sorry?" He asks, placing his hand against my wrist, I feel his thumb stroking my skin gently.

"Please, forgive me. Elena, I lost him too. Damn it! I lost him too and I never meant to hurt you or him. Please, give me a second chance to prove that I can be trusted again and for me to make this right…Please, I am begging you!" His voice breaks as I wiggle my wrist away from his touch and I finally turn to face him. Placing both of my hands on Matt's damp cheeks, my brown eyes met his broken blue gaze.

"I'll give you a second chance. But, he is never coming back to me or those kids. So, know this….I am never going to forgive you for making that decision that took him away from me, NEVER! You'll have to live with the fact that you're responsible for killing your best friend and to be honest, I don't think that there's anything worse in this world than that. A guilty conscious will kill your soul quicker than me hating you will." Pivoting away from him, my hands drop to my side as I start walking back to the house while I hear Matt drop back into the lawn chair and cry. He's hysterically crying so loud and looking up at the sky as he chokes on his words while he shouts out. "I'm sorry! Damn it, Stefan! I am so fucking sorry for what I did. I never meant for this to happen. I never meant for you to die!"

Damon

"I'm not leaving your house until you know how sorry I am!" Matt shouts after her again as she nearly slams the door in his face. Elena leans against the closed door, covering her face with her hands. "That's not going to change anything, Matt. What did I just fucking tell you outside?" She asks him with an agitated tone, hearing while he exhales deeply and stomps his foot loudly on her front porch.

"Damon, can you please talk to him?" She says to me, taking a step back as Caroline slowly walks into the room with a sleepy looking Sam pressed against her chest. "He just woke up from a nap and auntie Caroline got her first smile from this little boy! Olivia's getting a diaper change from uncle Tyler and I'm pretty sure that he got popped on." She snickers, giving Elena and I a curious look as I finally step outside.

"Matt. Give this a fucking rest and go home. Do you know how pathetic you look right now? The girl inside of that house can't stand to look at you. But, you've been fucking pushing yourself on her." I place my hand onto his shoulder, watching as he closes his eyes and mumbles a loud "I didn't mean to do that either. Why do I keep fucking this up?"

"What do you keep fucking up?" I ask him, seeing him fidget as he glances down towards his shoes and adds in a softer and calmer tone. "I want her to like me again and I want her to forgive me."

Sighing deeply, my eyes met his drunken and disoriented gaze as I place my hands on to his shoulders and state in more of a brotherly tone than anything else. "If that's what you're trying to do. Don't you think that it should be on her own terms? Matt, she just lost the love of her life. My brother. Now, I suggest that instead of forcing yourself to have any sort of relationship with Elena at the moment. You should go home and give this shit a rest. I'm sure that when she's ready, she'll find you." I tell him, watching as he steps away from me and gives me one last head nod before he begins walking towards his truck.

He must sense my hesitation as he stops himself half way to it before he says. "I'm fine to drive, I promise. Please, just tell her that I'm really sorry for everything and that if she needs me, to call."

Katherine

"You seem to be recovering nicely." I comment, pulling up a chair beside him as I notice him glance down at his hands, one of his fingers is tracing the scars on his right hand while he looks at it intently.

"Those won't be able to ever go away. You're lucky to be alive." He hears me say as he sits up slowly from the bed and exhales deeply. "Lucky to be alive? These scars prove that I should have been dead. Why didn't you all just leave me to die?" Stefan asks as I take a hold of his hand, boldly pressing it against my chest so that he can feel my heart beating.

"Because, everything inside of me told me that you deserved to live. Stefan, I know that you're hurting and confused right now. But, I promise you that over the next few months. I'm going to help you heal too. I'll be there every step of the way and I won't ever leave." Removing his hand from my chest, I get up from my seat beside him and smile at him gently.

"Thank you, Katherine." I hear him say while I make my way out of the room, turning back to him once my hand is on the doorknob and I've pulled the door open a little. "You're welcome. Now, I've got to go talk to Klaus for a bit. But, I'll be back in a little while." I tell him, shutting the door quickly behind me. The minute I make my way far enough from the door, my body gets slammed against the wall and Klaus's eyes meet mine.

"What the fucking hell do you think you're doing!" He shouts, pulling me into a room that's far enough away from Stefan's so that he can't hear us talking. "Keep your voice down!" I comment, closing the door behind me as Klaus gives me an angered look.

"You've been spending way too much time with him over these last few weeks. It seems like that's all you want to do lately!" He says in a snarling tone as I catch on to it quickly and point at him. "You're jealous of me spending time with him?"

Shaking his head, Klaus refuses to answer. Instead, he licks his bottom lip and quickly walks towards me. My body presses up firmly against the wall as his fingertips lift my chin and our eyes meet in an intensified gaze. "You can't have us both at your disposal, Katherine. That's how people get hurt and believe me. If we're trying to keep up appearances. You can't go falling in love with the man we kidnapped!" He shouts at me as I roll my eyes.

"I don't want you both. I just want you, Klaus." Leaning forward and kissing him gently, he pulls me against his body. The kiss slowly becomes more passionate, our breathing quickening as I open my mouth to allow his tongue inside. Klaus's arm pulls me against him so that I'm chest to chest with him before he breaks away from the kiss that's now left me a little breathless. Wiping his mouth, he states in a seriously threatening tone. "Good, because you're mine and If I ever find out that you've cheated on me with him. I'll come after him and you. Believe me, Katherine. If Stefan ever comes in between us, he is going to wish he really had been dead."


	47. Chapter 47

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty-Seven

….6 Months Later.…

Damon

"Where is she?" I shout out, bursting through the double doors into the hallway of the firehouse and into one of the spare rooms as she watches me pull the covers off of her tried and aching body.

"Leave me alone, Damon, I'm not leaving! Just leave me here." Elena shouts at me, rolling on to her side as she feels me slowly place my hands onto her shoulders while she winces from the pain.

"You're coming to the one place you've been coming to for the last six months since Stefan's death. I get it. But, you think those guys in that office care that you lost your fiancé, Elena? Do you think they care that I can't go into a burning building anymore without having flashbacks of that day and of my brother dying in front of my eyes? That I can't sleep at night because I wake up with nightmares of Stefan and my wife has to soothe my cries? That when I need to go out into the field that I sit in the fire truck instead with a full blown panic attack! They don't give a damn that we lost him, Elena! They have case files filled with unsolved crimes and investigations on fires that still need to be solved. They could care less about your theory of a man who went missing in a fire, without a trace because they've already ruled it out to be an accidental death!" I shout at her, watching as she turns towards me, eyes covered in tears. Barely being able to see me in front of her as she pleads for me to just leave her the hell alone. "Please, Damon. Don't say that! Don't. I just want answers! I want to know that he didn't die in vain. Please, Damon...I can't go back home. I can't live without him!" She sobs, watching as I lean down in front of her while gently placing my hands onto her scrapped up knees. She'd been praying hours earlier, sitting on the cold concrete and praying that her pain would go away. I can tell from the red dots on her skin that she'd been knelt down on the carpet while placing her hands onto the cot in front of her. She would never admit it to me. But, I know that she was praying to bring Stefan back home and that her theory of him not being dead was right.

"He's gone, Elena! Stefan is gone and he is never coming back to us! But, he put me in charge of taking care of you and his kids! What do you think my brother would think if I didn't take care of you or them...Hmm? That I'm the only one who can put two and two together and realize that ever since you've been hanging around with Matt that things are different, you're different! So, let me handle Matt and let me help you stop showing up here! You spend nights away from your kids because you think that showing up here and asking Tyler's bosses about what happened to my brother will help you get closer to the truth. It won't. So, just stop it already! Those kids need you. They've already lost one parent. They can't lose you too!" I urge her to clear her mind and come to find some reasoning, hearing as her breath hitches at the sound of Matt's name rolling off of my tongue.

"Don't worry about Matt, he's just a friend. Damn it! He's not the problem here, those assholes who won't tell me anything are! They keep saying that Stefan's death was an accident and that it's a closed case. But, we both know that it wasn't. Damon, I know that you know it wasn't!" She cries, feeling as her breath hits my cool skin and I lean into her, embracing her gently while she sobs against my shoulder and mumbles against my shirt in soft tone. "This is the only other place I have left of him. I just came to the station to be closer to Stefan, to remember him...Please, Damon..Please. I can't go home. I have nothing to go home to anymore. I have nothing! Whenever I look at our kids, I see Stefan. I can't sleep. I can't eat and I can't take care of my own children without someone helping me 24/7, waiting for me to crack. Because they know I miss him, Damon..I miss him so much and I'm tired, I'm just so tired. To be honest, I can't live like this anymore."

"Shh...It's okay because you're going to be spending the night with Bonnie and I for a few days. The kids are at Caroline's. So, they're safe. Don't worry, Elena. You're safe here and I promise you that we're all going to help you raise Sam and Olivia, we're going to do it together. It's going to be okay, I promise." She hears me say as I pull her close and just let her cry while she clings to me.

After a long while, she finally pulls herself together for a bit as she says. "Take me home, Damon. Please, just lie to me and tell me that he's coming back. Please, Damon." She cries, clinging on to me as I pull her against my body and carry her out of the double doors that lead to the parking lot. I pause for a moment, there's a shrine of candles and pictures that are of my brother and something inside of me snaps.

Adjusting her in my arms, I feel myself trying to cover up my own tears and sorrow. "I'm sorry, Elena. I can't do that. So, listen to me. He didn't die in vain, Elena. He just perished in a fire and no one saved him. I should have saved him and I didn't. I blame myself for what happened too. I look at myself every single fucking day in the mirror and I wonder what my brother would think of me now. I'm taking pills for my anxiety and I can barely even keep up at this damn firehouse with all the new rookies. Part of me is starting to think that I should just give it up. Bonnie and I could sell the house and we could just leave it all behind. Every single terrible memory that I now have of this city."

"Don't." She comments softly, her arms wrapped around my neck as I pull her closer and she whispers. "I know you're hurting. I know because I feel the same way you do too. I'm so lost without him. But, we need each other, Damon. I need you. We're family and we need each other."

Bonnie

"They're getting closer." I tell him in an observant tone as Damon and I watch Matt and Elena sitting on the couch. She's got her head leaning against his shoulder as he pulls her against him.

"I know. I don't want them to get too close to each other because that's not what she needs right now. Elena needs to focus on the two beautiful babies and piecing her life back together." He says to me as I wrap my arms around him and place my head against his back.

"Matt's been an asshole a few times over the last few months. But, I think she's gotten used to him and his ways. I mean, since they got over that fight they had. He's been coming over a lot more and staying with her. They've seemed to be on pretty friendly terms." I tell Damon, taking a step away from him as he whispers in my ear. "Do you think they're sleeping together?"

"You did not just ask me that." I state, rolling my eyes and huffing out a breath. "Damon, your brother died six months ago and Elena clearly is still in mourning. She loved Stefan more than anyone else. Matt's just a friend and that's all this is. A friendship where he supports and helps her."

Licking my bottom lip, I watch Damon glance back over into the living room. "I hope so. Because, I've known Matt longer than anyone and I can tell you this right now. He's only good at being a friend to someone. Everything else that he touches or gets close to, he ruins. And, if he as so touches Elena in any way that isn't friendly. I'll kill him."

Damon inhales deeply before he adds in. "Besides, after I found her at the fire station in the condition she was in. I swear that Elena getting involved with Matt in any other way than being his friend would be a recipe for disaster."

Elena

"Thank you for tonight." I tell Matt, watching as he stands with his hands in his pockets on my porch, a cheeky smile slowly spreading across his face.

"Damon told me that he found you at the firehouse and you were really upset. He keeps finding you there and he's worried about you. So, I guess that's one of the reasons I stuck around too after Bonnie and Damon both left tonight. I wanted to make sure that you were okay because I've been worried about you too." He tells me, taking a step towards me as I close the front door behind me. Glancing down at my feet, I lock my eyes on to Matt.

"Everyone keeps asking me that, you know. If I'm okay," Pausing, Matt notices me suddenly gripping on to my engagement ring that took so much courage to take off of my hand and put it around the gold chained necklace that it's attached to now. I stare up at him with tears in my eyes as Matt takes another step towards me. He stands there, unsure of what to say as he gives me a saddened smile when he asks quietly. "What do you tell them?"

I inhale through my nose, taking a second to try and really think about it before I tell him the truth. "That I lost the love of my life and that I'll never really be 100% okay without him. But, over these last few months. I've been feeling okay because of the people I've surrounded myself with." He nods, smiling at me as if I've said a satisfying answer.

"I'm really sorry about everything I did in those few weeks after Stefan's death. Elena, I haven't been the best friend to you and I don't even know why you still want to be around me." He says as I take a step towards him, resting my hand on his shoulder, my eyes meet Matt's.

"Because, even though you're an asshole sometimes and you've made mistakes. I still like having you around, Matt. I still don't forgive you fully and I never will. But, I'm starting to trust you again and I'm starting to realize that you aren't that bad." I comment as he smiles at me, taking my hand off of his shoulder as he holds my own hand in his hand while keeping my gaze. "I don't deserve your friendship. But, it's better than not having you in my life at all."

Nodding, I take a step back while trying to head back into the house. I pause for a moment, remembering that Stefan and I have a spare bedroom, an idea sparking from the thought. "You know, I was thinking, since you spend a lot of your time with me here already. And, I overheard you telling Tyler that your lease is almost ending for your apartment. Would you want to move in here with me?"

"What? With you?" He asks me, sounding totally shocked. I nod my head, trying to not make it a big deal, because to me it really doesn't seem like it is. Having Matt rent out one of the rooms would help me financially as well as he could still help me out with the kids.

"Yea. Look, I'm not saying it as a "I really like you" type of deal. That's not what I meant. What I mean is that with Stefan not around anymore. I need as much help as I can get with the twins and I can't do it all by myself. I know, I have Tyler, Caroline, Damon and Bonnie too. However, they have their own lives to live." I comment, hearing as he laughs out loud and stomps his foot. "Are you trying to say that I don't have a life, Elena?" He asks me with a joking tone.

Shaking my head, I quickly correct myself. "That's not what I meant. It's just that, I could use the extra help and since you've been so helpful to me over these last two months after we decided to be 'Semi-friends' again. I figured that we could make this work and it would be easier for you to just live here instead of traveling back and forth all the time." I explain to him, watching his eyes dart from me and then back to his truck.

"What is everyone else going to say? What are they going to think? Elena, I'm not trying to replace Stefan. It's just that, he told his brother and myself to look after you. So, that's all I'm trying to do with all of this helping you out. Because lately it seems to me that you've really been in need of a friend. So," He pauses as I take a step forward, adjusting my shirt and grinning a little.

"You're going to be my roommate. That's it. All this is going to be is a living arrangement. No romantic feelings. Because to be honest, I couldn't even stomach that with you in a million years. So, we're roommates and friends." I comment, extending out my hand for him to take it as he laughs a little and smiles up at me, agreeing to our little arrangement. "Roommates it is then." He replies, shaking my hand tightly before letting it go and walking to his truck as he turns to me and says. "My lease ends at the end of the month. So, after that. I guess I'll be moving in here."

"Okay." I tell him over my shoulder with a small as he smiles too, replying back simply with a soft. "Okay."

Stefan

"Are you sure that Klaus is okay with me living here?" I ask her as I place one of my moving boxes on to the floor, Katherine glances up at me while I run my hands through my hair. Turning towards me, she gives me a sweet smile.

"Of course he is. Stefan, the truth is that Klaus and I broke up a month ago. So, whatever I do now isn't on his terms. It's on mine. Listen, having you in this apartment will help us both out. I for one won't be so lonely and you will have me to help with your memory." She states as I watch her move from the living room and into the kitchen. Just being around Katherine lately has made me jumpy and it causes my stomach to have butterflies. I know, it's crazy to say this. But, I'm crushing on her so much lately that I'm thankful for the fact that her and Klaus broke up. Now, I wouldn't say that she'd ever go for someone like me. Yet, with the way she acts around me…Who knows!

"Oh," She pauses, picking up her running shoes as she tosses me the newspaper and tells me to look at what she circled down below job announcements postings. "I found you a job." She says smiling widely.

I glance down at it, reading the bold printing. "They're looking for a mechanic?" I ask, my eyes following Katherine as she moves away from the couch and towards the door. She's bent over stretching her legs as she laughs. "Yes, they are and I think you'd be great at it." Katherine ties her hair back into a ponytail, clearly getting ready to go on her routine jog for the day as she smirks and playfully states. "You seem like you'd be really go with your hands. That's why I thought you'd be interested in a mechanic job."

I can't help but laugh. My calloused rough fingers seem to tell the story of a man whose life revolved around fixing things and working hard. "Who knows, maybe I was a mechanic in my past life?" She hears me questioning, shrugging her shoulders back as she takes a step towards me. I watch her take a hold of my hand as she examines my fingers and grins. "I would have loved to see what you did with these hands."

The tension between us, I can feel it as she laces our fingers together and brings my hand up to her lips. Katherine kisses my knuckles, smiling at me sweetly all the while. "We shouldn't do this." I comment, the pit in my stomach grows as she tilts her head to the side and gives me a confused look. "Do what?" She asks.

Pointing from me to herself, I try to prove a point. As much as I think that her and I would be good together. I'm pretty sure that we wouldn't work. So, I make it crystal clear. "This. You and I. Katherine, we're both in a vulnerable spot. You just broke up with Klaus and I'm still trying to piece my life back together, I'm trying to remember who I am." The hold she has on my hand loosens a bit as she flutters her eyelashes at me and then drops my hand away from her body.

"It's too bad. Maybe when you're ready, you can show me what those hands were really made for." She winks, opening the door and leaving the room before I can even utter out a response. The only thing that's left behind from her is the faint feeling of her lips pressed against my skin and the tightness of anxiety from being around her still causing my stomach and my body to tense up. Damn it, I'm falling for her. Fast and hard. I'm falling for Katherine.


	48. Chapter Forty-Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Part 1 of the "One and Only" Trilogy. Elena Gilbert is a struggling waitress trying to piece her life back together after her dad dies. Stefan Salvatore is a reckless new firefighter wanting to make a name for himself no matter the cost. Find out how their love story really began in the prequel "Before You Were Mine."(Pairings: Stelena, Forwood, Bamon,Klaus&Katherine)(COMPLETED)

A/N: I'm sad to say that this is the FINAL CHAPTER to Before You Were Mine! Thank you all so much for following this story and I'm so happy that a lot of you have enjoyed this series. For those of you that have already read One and Only & Begin Again. Please check out the final story to the series which follows the lives of Sam and Olivia called "Afire Love"

Thanks so much for reading & enjoy!

Before You Were Mine- Chapter Forty-Eight

Caroline

Weeks have gone by since we've been together and I can sense the hesitation in his voice when he says. "Are you sure about this?" He asks me, taking a slow and hesitant step into the house as I turn back to look him over. Tyler's got a nervous look on his face, almost as if he's a stranger in his own home. "Yes, I'm sure." I comment, taking his hand into mine and allowing my husband to step back into the house we've shared over the last year. "It's our home, Tyler. A place where you and I can rebuild. Where we need to rebuild our relationship." I tell him, feeling his hand slip away from my grasp as he closes the door behind me, looking around as if something's changed since he's been gone.

"Everything's the same." I comment, reassuring him of the thing I already know he's about to ask. I turn back to him, noticing the nervousness on his face and in his eyes as he states. "This is weird, being here with you after everything." He says, taking a seat on our couch as I nod my head, taking a seat beside him and gently resting my head onto his shoulder. Tyler takes my hand into his, intertwining our fingers together as I exhale a deep breath.

"I've missed you." I comment, feeling his lips gently press against my temple as he inhales sharply and says in a soft voice. "I've missed you too, Care. I never want to be without you again." I comment. We sit in silence for a long time as he puts his arm around me and pulls me into his side, allowing my body to mold into him.

"I'm sorry for everything." I tell him as he closes his eyes and says it too.

"What do we do now?" I ask him, feeling him readjust himself as he moves away from me and smiles sweetly, never once letting go of my hand. "We start over." He tells me, leaning forward and placing his hand onto my cheek. Tyler caresses my skin and leans in to kiss my lips as I lean back and feel him hovering over me. "I like this." I comment with a smile, giggling a little when he laughs too. "So do I. I love you, Caroline. I love you so much and I promise that I'm never going to give up on us again." He vows, kissing me deeply as I wrap my arms around him and pull him down against me, whispering ever so softly. "I love you too."

I watch as Tyler's gaze falls to the end table beside the couch as he suddenly gets up and points to the envelop that's unopened. Picking it up, he tilts his head to the side and turns it around, pointing to the mailing address. "The New York Police Department? Are these your academy test results?" He asks, watching me nod as I look unamused by his beaming and excited smile. "Since when have you had them and why aren't they ripped open yet, Caroline?" Tyler asks me as I shrug my shoulders and tell him that I've already had them for three days and that I've been too nervous to open them alone.

"Let's do it together." He says with an encouraging tone, handing me the envelope and sitting beside me as I nervously open it and close my eyes as I hand it to my husband to unfold and read. "Did I get into the police academy?" I ask, clenching my teeth as he sharply exhales and with a smirk as my eyes open he says in a sweet tone. "You nailed it! Of course, you got in. Congratulations, Officer Lockwood. You're going to be part of the New York City Police Department!"

Damon

"You should come to sleep." She says, leaning against the doorframe as I look over my brother's case. Writing notes and trying to make sense of it all. "They only found parts of his suit. No bones or body fragments." I comment, scratching my head as Bonnie walks further into the room and places her arms around my shoulders from behind my chair. She kisses my neck, working her lips up to my cheeks as she says in a slightly seductive tone. "Please, baby. Leave this alone and come to sleep. He's gone, Damon. I know that you loved him and he loved you more than anyone. You were there for him no matter what. But, the case is closed and-." I cut her off, moving her arms away from me and turning in my chair to face my wife.

"You see, Bon. You're thinking like everyone else is. That Stefan died in that fire and that there aren't any fragments of his body or there aren't any bones because he completely burned in the warehouse. But, the more I look over these papers. The more I realize that something isn't right. I think we need to get Jeremey Gilbert involved in this. He needs to reopen Stefan's case, Bon." I tell her, hearing as she inhales sharply and repeats again. "He's gone, Damon. We all know that. Opening his closed case again is just going to do more harm then it will do any good to anyone of us. Now, please. Baby, we need to move on. We need to learn to live our lives without Stefan. As hard as it's going to be, I promise that we'll have each other throughout it."

"Are we really going to ever be able to move on? I mean, will we?" I ask myself more than I ask her as she takes a step back and shakes her head, tears welling up into her eyes.

"Elena's dating Matt, taking pills to numb the pain. Believe me, I saw them in her purse the other night when she came over to pick up Sam and Olivia to take them home. She's sharing a bed with my dead brother's best friend! Caroline and Tyler finally moved back in together after months of being apart and they're in marriage counseling. You and I. Hell, we're stuck to pick up the pieces as I stay up all night looking over Stefan's case file, trying to find changes in it as if anything different aside from the fact that he's never coming home again will pop up in front of my face. I'm putting our lives on hold because I'm looking for clues to bring my dead brother home. Acting like his funeral never happened!" I shout out, running my hands vigorously over my tired face as I feel Bonnie's hands against my own while she slides into my lap and holds her body against mine. "Damon, please…" She begs, uncovering my face so that our eyes meet.

"What do you want from me, Bon?" My voice is shaking as she swallows deeply and tilts her head to the side. "I want you to call Jeremy Gilbert in the morning and have him look into this with his resources. And then, I want my husband back." She says to me, kissing my lips as my eyes close. Inhaling, I nod my head, whispering out that I'll call him and hand it over, allowing myself to slowly let go of my brother's accident and finally attempt to move on with my life…Our lives without Stefan.

Katherine

"I love you." He tells me, kissing my neck as he pulls the blanket away from my body and wraps himself up in it too. We've been living together for about six months now and Klaus hasn't seemed to really let up that I chose Stefan instead of him. He comes around and causes problems, which cause Stefan and I to fight most nights. However, over the last few weeks, things have been peaceful and Klaus hasn't been around.

"I was going to wait until we had some more time to ourselves. So," He pauses, kissing my cheek and leaving me completely perplexed as I hear a rustling in his pocket. Stefan gently turns me around as we both stand in the bathroom and he takes my hand. "Come with me, Katherine." He comments with a beaming smile as he takes my hand and he leads me into our bedroom.

"What's going on, Stefan?" I ask him, watching him lead me towards the bed and telling me to take a seat. Stefan nervously plays with the hem of his t-shirt as he clears his throat and suddenly, he's on one knee, smiling at me while taking my hand into his own.

"Katherine, I know that we've only been together for a short period of time. But, baby I love you. I love you so much that I can't picture my life without you and I need you in it. I want us to be together forever and I'd love it if you'd do the honor of becoming my wife?" My eyes grow wide as I swallow deeply. I feel ill to my stomach as I lock my eyes onto his, removing my hand away from him. Clearing my throat and pushing Stefan away from me, I get up as I start feeling oddly guilt for everything that Klaus and I have done to him.

"Stefan, we can't do this. There are a lot of things about me that you still have to learn…." My voice trails off as he places his hand onto my shoulder, his voice trembling as he speaks. "No there isn't. I know enough about you, Katherine. I know that I love you and that I want to be with you. Only, you."

"This is all wrong. This isn't supposed to happen like this." I tell myself under my breath as Stefan tilts his head to the side and asks in a soft voice. "Katherine. Sweetie, are you okay?"

Shrugging my shoulders back, I close my eyes and exhale deeply before turning back towards him with a sweet smile once again. Faking it, I've become fairly good at it and in my mind I figure that if I can keep this all up, I remember that Klaus and I can live scotch free and without prison time for what we did to Stefan. My lips spread into a wide smile as I take Stefan's hands into mine and squeeze them tightly. "I'm fine. I was just really thinking about what you said and you're right. You do know enough about me as I know about you. I guess we'll learn more about each other as time goes on as well. So, yes…" My voice hitches as I lean forward and kiss his lips while whispering against them. "Yes, Stefan. I'll marry you."

Elena

He's drunk again the moment I step through the door; I can smell the booze as I notice the empty beer bottles on my kitchen floor. The guilt is eating him alive and instead of dealing with it. Matt's shown me that he's diving right into his past, drinking his problems away time and time again. This is the third time that he's been drunk over the last week.

"Matt, how many times do I have to tell you to not drink in the house?" I comment, the irritation evident in my voice as I make my way into the living room and find him lying on the couch, he gets up a little when he sees me. His eyes are blood shot and his face is red.

"I love you, you know. And, I know that you lost him, Elena. But, Stefan told me to take care of you, and I know that I haven't been really doing my job." He tells me, leaning in to me and kissing my forehead when I find him in the living room and I stand in front of him, inhaling the scent of alcohol all around me.

"This is your way of taking care of me! I can't do this, Matt. Not anymore, not with you! I'm sorry, Matt. But, this! It needs to stop!" I exclaimed, my exhausted voice breaking with a small hint of fear as I try to get up from the couch and he pulls me by the wrist towards him, our eyes locked onto one another when he forces me to sit next to him.

"Don't leave, Elena. I'll change. I promise you, I'll change for the better. For you, I will stop drinking!" He urges, his words seeming to come out sincerer then I had heard before, somewhere in the back of my sickened mind, I believe him- just for a moment.

"I never wanted this for myself, for my kids. My life, wasn't supposed to be this way. He wasn't supposed to-" I try to say, my eyes looking past Matt to a picture frame that holds a picture of Stefan and I.

"Maybe it would be easier if you just, let him go." Matt suggests, his eyes looking back to where my own eyes seem stuck on the picture, on the happier time in my life when we had it all, when I was happy with Stefan and not with Matt. When everything in my life seemed blissful and easier.

"Let him go? Matt, as much as I would want to do that. You and I both know that I can never just let Stefan go. Those kids upstairs, my kids! With him! They'll start to ask questions one day, and what am I going to tell them? That their mom doesn't have any pictures of their father because, She let him go? It's impossible for me to do that. Because, Stefan was a huge part of my life. I can never just get rid of him. I will never let him go. Not from my mind and certainly not from my heart!" I tell him as he shakes his head and inhales deeply, getting up from the couch so that we're eye level with one another.

"Why does that even matter now? You want to live in a shrine dedicated to your deceased fiancé?" He asks me, tightening his grip around my wrist, watching my eyes fill with tears.

"Matt, please. Just let me go." I try to tell him, suddenly watching his face fill with anger, his eyes lock onto my pain filled face, both of us at a standstill and me standing there- cursing myself for ever bringing Stefan up.

"I can't let it go, Elena! You act like he's going to come back and save you. Well, too bad sweetheart because he won't. Stefan's dead! He's gone, Elena. But, it's like you'll never be happy until you're with him again. Which, I don't understand. How can you not move on already? How can you not realize that he's dead!" Matt shouts out, loud enough to wake Sam and Olivia up from their naps, glaring at me with a hatred for the man that he felt he had always been compared to.

"Move on? Are we seriously having this discussion. I told you why I can't move on! I love him, Matt. I still love him and even though everyone else thinks that he's gone. I know he's not, I still feel him out there, He's alive. Stefan is alive and I know it. But, every day that goes by, his memory becomes less and less. I'm forgetting the sound of his voice, his laugh, the way he'd hold me in his arms. So, no. I'm not moving on and I don't think I'll ever be ready for it until I find out what really happened to him." My voice cracks, watching Matt let go of my wrist as he walks over to the fireplace mantel, taking the picture of Stefan and I in his hands as he looked down at it.

"He's not coming back and you need to face it already! So, I don't think you need these anymore." He shouts with a hostile tone, his hands gripping on to the frame as I stood there, frozen in place watching it fall to the ground and the glass shatter while Matt steps over it with his boots.

"Stop it! Please, don't do this! Matt..Please!" I beg, watching him go around the room in a frantic rage, knocking over everything that I hold close to me, everything that reminds me of Stefan.

"Shut up! You whore!" He yells out, turning to me with a look of absolute hatred in his eyes as he steps in front of me and we're eye level. Matt's fuming with anger as he caresses my cheek and I feel my body tense up as he runs his fingers through my dark brown hair and just when I think he's going to stop, he twirls my brown locks in between his fingers and pulls my hair towards me, forcing me to whimper out in pain.

"If only Stefan knew that you slept with me, just six months' after his death. He would have seen you for the whore that you truly are." Matt hisses out, spitting in my face as he pushes me down to the ground and stands above me. My body is frozen as I hear Olivia and Sam crying in the master bedroom and I try to get him to let me go. "Please, Matt. You're drunk and I need to get to the babies. They need me." I'm pleading with him, crying as he bends down and tilts his head to the side, taking my hair and fisting it in between his fingers again as he hisses out in a sinister tone. "Not until you promise me that you'll never mention Stefan Salvatore's name in this house again. You ungrateful bitch!" He says, slamming my head against the cold wooden floor as my eyes begin closing shut and I begin to lose consciousness, noticing that I'm bleeding from my face and from my head. Silently praying that he doesn't hurt my children. Praying that I can make it out of this alive.

Stefan

"Come back. Please, I love you..." My voice breaks, eyes flinging open as I murmur out the words in a cold sweat. Another hot summer morning in Florida, another dream of her, another haunting memory that I try to shake off, but I fail at. I can't let her go, I can't seem to forget her or the feelings I had for her- the woman that haunts me in my dreams.

I could feel her hands on my shoulders though, memories of last night jolting me awake. She looks concerned, a little bit of anger is seen in Katherine's eyes as she gets up and swings her legs over the bed.

"You were dreaming again." Katherine says with a hint of irritation, her voice seething with jealousy when she pushes herself up and opens the blinds in our bedroom, letting the blinding sun inside of the darkened room.

"Katherine-." I try to explain, watching as she walks over to a chair in the room, slipping into her light floral colored robe, tightening it around her waistline, shaking her head and brushing her curly hair back with her fingers. She doesn't look at me once while she speaks.

"I can't take this anymore. I'm sharing you with a ghost. Damn it, Stefan! It's like you're having a love affair with her and you don't even realize it!" Katherine shouts in a hostile tone, causing me to wince at her words. It's funny because that's how I've felt over the last two months, dreaming of the girl that I barely know anything about- only thing in my possession is a picture of her. Her name swirling around my head...Elena and her brown eyes never once failing to make me want to know her, to love her, to protect her. The instinct to do so is extremely strong.

"I keep trying to find out who she is. But, every time I find out something- I get a dead end. What am I supposed to do, Katherine? Look, it's nothing. She doesn't mean anything to me. She's probably just a side effect- a figment of my imagination. Most likely, she's not even real. It's just a dream, honey. It doesn't mean anything- she means nothing to me." I try to compromise with her in a reassuring tone, hearing Katherine huff out a breath.

"I can't marry you, Stefan. I can't marry you until you let her go." Katherine tells me bluntly, an annoyed look on her face, her face riddled with pure irritation as I repeat my words, the same ones I have been saying for months now. In my attempt of trying to prove to her that she's the only one I love. She's the only one I was meant to be with. Yet, I'm scrambling for things to say and instead, I'm angry at Katherine for dismissing this instead of trying to help me figure it all out.

"Let her go? Katherine, she's in my head, I can't just stop thinking about her! I've tried to stop thinking about her in these last few months. But, these memories...These dreams are becoming even more intense with more time that passes. For some reason, they're even more meaningful to me and I'm starting to think that she's someone, I know. Do you know anyone by the name of-?" I start to ask her, getting cut off when she runs her hands through her hair again and finally takes a few steps back towards the bed, frowning a bit when she leans towards me and sits in my lap.

I wrap my arms around her, kissing her cheek as she leans her head against my shoulder, inhaling through pursed lips when she shakes her head. "By the name of who?" Katherine asks, looking down at me as I feel her hands start to slowly push me back against the mattress.

Katherine's straddling my lap while she leans down and kisses my neck, bringing her head back up when she mumbles. "Maybe this woman you keep dreaming about is an ex-girlfriend or something. Besides, I'm not going to get worked up about it. She doesn't matter anymore, Stefan. She's in the past and that's where she should stay. Whoever she is, she isn't even worth stressing over. Because, you're all mine. I'm your future." Katherine comments, her fingernails scratching against my bare chest when she leans down and leaves a kiss against my neck, then my cheek. Although, when she locks her brown eyes on me. I'm haunted, afraid to look at her.

"Why are you closing your eyes?" Katherine says in a sassy tone; she's starting to get annoyed by me. By the way I'd been acting. I laughed it off, eyes still closed as I place my hands onto to her hips, working their way up to slide off her black colored tank top. Although, when I open my eyes again and look up at Katherine. Her darkened gaze is replaced with that plaguing sweet, warm and welcoming look, the softer shade of brown eyes appears in front of me. Katherine's face is warmer and smiling when she slides down my chest and whispered quietly against my ear. "Baby, I miss you. Come back to me, Stefan. Please, honey. I love you...I need you…" I pull her down towards me, running my fingers through her hair, bringing her lips against mine and when I'm just about to kiss her hungrily. Yet, finding that all I can do is utter out- instead of Katherine's name- is the one name of the woman that I've kept repeating in my dreams..."Elena… Elena…Don't leave me. Don't go."

A/N: Please read the next part of this story called "One and Only".

The One and Only series is as follows:

Part 1.) Before You Were Mine

Part 2.) One and Only

Part 3.) Begin Again (sequel to One and Only)

Part 4.) Afire Love (FINAL AND NEWEST INSTALLMENT TO THE SERIES! PLEASE CHECK IT OUT!)


	49. The Goodbye Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Before You Were Mine: Missing Chapters

A/N: Hey all! Here is the first missing scene from Before You Were Mine (BYWM).

Please feel free to add comments with some more ideas for these in the reviews.

Before You Were Mine: Missing Scenes

*Stefan writes a letter to Elena, the night before the warehouse fire that nearly kills him*

The Goodbye Letter

Dear Elena,

I want you to know something. I love you.

I know, you've heard those words by a lot of people in your life. Friends. Family. The guys you dated before me. For each one, it's a different type of love. For you and I. It's forever.

Elena, my sweet and beautiful girl.

I've never meant it more than I do now.

I love you with every fiber of my being and tonight, I want you to know that if I don't come back from this job. Baby, you need to know that if something happens to me out there in any of the jobs that I do. I'll never stop loving you. I will never stop fighting to make it home to you.

You changed my entire life and it's because of you that I've become a better man. I don't think I've ever said thank you for making me a better person. But, I guess I should start now. So, here it goes.

Thank you. For loving me, fiercely, unselfishly. Thank you for showing me that love can conquer almost anything. And, most of all, thank you for giving me the two precious gifts that we now call Sam and Olivia- our children. I see you in Olivia when I look at her and I see myself in Sam. They're going to grow up being loved by us and never once will they know what it feels to go to sleep without feeling cared for. I tear up every time I think about not being able to see them grow up and watch them become everything that you and I both know that they can be. Amazing human beings with the world at their feet.

I know that you hate talking about it. I guess that's why I'm sitting here writing about all of this instead. Although, I need to have you promise me that if something ever happens to me. I want Damon and Matt to help out with the twins as much as they can. Elena, if I die and if I never come back home to you. I want you to move on and eventually, learn to love again. I know that it's hard to talk about. But, you need to understand that I'd rather watch you be happy again then miserable and mourning me for a long time. Because, we both know that, that isn't what I'd want for you or our kids.

As for the children, sweetheart. Please, tell them stories about me. Tell them the stories of our first date and the one of your birthday party (after we had broken up). Tell them that their father loved their mother more than life itself and that he also died doing the job he loved more than anything. Tell our kids that I'll be looking over them every single day and protecting them. Tell them that I wanted them so much and when I held them for the first time in my arms, it was the best feeling of my life.

I just….

I want them to know that they were loved. I never once want them to think that they were abandoned.

Stefan placed his pen down, exhaling deeply as the tears began to trickle down his cheeks. He was writing this letter as a "Just in case I die."- A goodbye letter. It was harder than he had expected, to write the one thing that he had been avoiding. However, Tyler and nearly every fireman had done it before any job. It was important that he wrote what he felt.

His shaking hands stopped for a second as he closed his eyes and wiped his tears. He needed to finish it. He needed them all to know what they've meant to him. Including, her.

Tell Damon that I love him and that I'm proud to have been called his younger brother. Tell him that he's been my best friend since we were kids and I hope that he can guide our children and be a mentor for them. Maybe teach them things that I'll never get the chance to do.

Tell Caroline, Bonnie and Tyler to be strong. Have the girls be by your side, even if you don't think you'll need them. Believe me, a few days after the shock wears off, you'll need your friends to lift you back up when you can't get out of bed. When you can't eat or sleep, talk to Matt. He's a good listener. Make sure that he goes to that donut place you love so much in Manhattan and gets you your favorite donuts when you're sad. Even if it's midnight and you're not hungry. Force Damon to go with him and to take Tyler too. Because, they'll need each other.

Lastly, don't ever forget to take care of yourself. And, always remember that I love you.

I've been blessed to be loved by you. I love you, Elena Gilbert. I have loved you since the first day I saved your life and I will love you until the last day of mine. You're my best friend and you own my heart and soul.

Thank you for making me a better man.

With all my love,

Stefan

A/N: Got a missing scene that you want me to write from this story? Please leave me a comment with an idea! :)


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